Chandigarh, Dec 14: The allegations of “political vendetta” during the ongoing Municipal Corporation and Council poll process in Punjab reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court Wednesday as the the SAD questioned a recently filed public interest litigation (PIL) in the High Court and alleged that over 1500 of its workers had been booked by the police over the last week.
During the resumed hearing on the PIL seeking directions for public safety in view of the clashes between workers of different political parties in Ferozepur and its neighbouring districts, SAD counsel Harpreet Singh Brar questioned the intentions behind the PIL filed by a lawyer last week and termed it as a “political interest litigation”.
“Excesses have been committed against the party workers and even the candidates have been prevented from filing nomination papers,” Brar told The Indian Express, adding the party has been impleaded as a respondent in the case.
The division bench of Ajay Kumar Mittal and Amit Rawal, while asking Brar to place on record his assertions, observed it was more concerned about the security and public safety than the political parties.
On December 8, the bench had ordered that any “dharna, meeting or congregation or activity” which may lead to disruption in law and order would not be allowed and asked the state to ensure that Section 144 was invoked wherever the authorities needed to impose it to maintain peace.
During the resumed hearing, the High Court also clubbed a number of PILs related to the demonstrations on state and national highways while asserting that it would not tolerate any blockade of the highways and saying any protests should not affect the law and order in the residential areas of the state. The bench also sought suggestions from the counsels on the preventive measures that need to be taken in future on any protests which may disrupt the law and order.
Arrive Safe Society, the road safety organisation, also on Wednesday filed a plea before the High Court seeking prohibition on road shows being done by the political parties, which lead to traffic jams and inconvenience of people.
Three recent PIL related to the protests and road demonstrations in Punjab are pending in the High Court and all of them had sought timely judicial intervention for public safety due to the protests called by different groups.
They include the latest one in which it was said that the people in Ferozepur and its neighbouring districts were facing an immense security threat “in the wake of election process of municipalities” as the candidates and workers of political parties were clashing with each other.
Source Indian Express
