Saurabh Malik
Chandigarh, August 11
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that the menace of illegal sand mining was growing in Punjab. The Bench also made it clear that the erstwhile Congress government in the state lacked political will to probe an FIR registered in March 2018 in the matter in the right earnest.
“Undoubtedly illegal mining being carried out by well-connected, unscrupulous individuals, has degraded entire environmental setup, causing great harm to the environment and ecological system of the region,” Justice Karamjit Singh asserted.
No political will to probe mining
The registration of FIR relating to illegal sand mining, when the Congress was in power… shows that the state government and police had no ‘political will’ to investigate FIR in right earnest. —Justice Karamjit Singh, HC
The assertion came as Justice Karamjit Singh dismissed a petition filed by former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh, alias Honey, and another petitioner Kudratdeep Singh. They were seeking the quashing of an FIR registered on July 18 for theft, cheating, criminal breach of trust, criminal conspiracy and other offences under Sections 379, 406, 420, 465, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC, along with the provisions of the Mines and Minerals (Regulation) of Development Act and the Environment Protection Act at the Rahon police station in Nawanshahr district.
Directions were also sought for quashing all consequential proceedings and issuance of directives against coercive action during the petition’s pendency. The relief was primarily sought on the ground that an FIR was registered earlier also in March 2018.
Justice Karamjit Singh asserted the petitioner was closely related to Channi. At the time of FIR registration, the Congress was in power in the state. In his statement recorded by the Directorate of Enforcement, the petitioner stated Rs 6/7 crore out of the recovered cash was received during past six months from Rakesh Chaudhary and Mohan Pal for facilitating them in mining-related works.
Rest Rs 3-4 crore were received in lieu of arranging transfers of Punjab Government employees through his political connections, making it clear that the petitioner was well-connected with the ruling government when the FIR was registered.
“In these circumstances, the registration of FIR relating to incidents of illegal sand mining dated March 6/7, 2018, when the Congress was in power in Punjab and further no action being taken by the police against petitioner Kudratdeep Singh, who was specifically named in the FIR, shows that the state government and police authorities were having no ‘political will’ to investigate the FIR in right earnest and only drivers etc. were challaned, while the key accused were let off.”
The state was represented by senior advocate Randeep Singh Rai.