Surjewala dares Khattar to move HC for judicial probe

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 1

Raising an accusing finger at the Dhingra Commission probing alleged murky land deals in Gurgaon, AICC communications in charge Randeep Surjewala today dared the Khattar government to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court for a judicial probe by a sitting HC Judge into alleged questionable land deals in Gurgaon.

“Let Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar approach the Chief Justice of the High Court to order a fair and independent probe into the alleged murky land deals in Gurgaon…The Congress has no objection to that..” Surjewala told The Tribune here today.

Reiterating his demand for the removal of Justice SN Dhingra, who was today given an extension of eight weeks to probe alleged irregular land deals, including that of AICC chief Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, he alleged that it had become a political tool for malicious witch-hunt on the part of the BJP government.

“This move by the government to provide extension to the Dhingra Commission only proves that this is a political witch-hunt to assassinate the character (of Robert Vadra),” Surjewala alleged.

“Justice Dhingra has compromised his position as an independent and neutral player by accepting favour from the Haryana Government for a trust headed by him, including accepting gift of land for the trust from a private individual,” Surjewala said, demanding that he must resign as the commission head or must be removed.

Justice Dhingra had already denied allegations that he sought any personal favours from the Haryana Government. On the need for extension, he had asserted that he wanted to study new documents which he received yesterday.

Meanwhile, Khattar said facts would become clear only after submission of the report by the Dhingra Commission. He said the questions being raised by the Congress leaders before submission of the report of the Dhingra Commission made one suspect that something was not right.

Khattar said the Dhingra Commission was constituted a year ago and at that time the Congress had no issues.

Vij slams Surjewala 

Ambala: Health Minister Anil Vij on Friday criticised the AICC media cell in charge Randeep Surjewala for targeting the Dhingra Commission. In a series of tweets, Vij wrote, “Surjewala, who doesn’t even know how to cast his vote in Rajya Sabha, has been denigrating that Dhingra Commission was formed without having it passed in the Cabinet. For his information, the Dhingra Commission was passed in the Cabinet on June 1, 2015, and the terms were amended in the Cabinet on Augusts 15, 2015. The Congress must stop telling lies as public has good memory and they are sensible too.” TNS

Why govt probing select licences: Cong

New Delhi: Questioning the grant of extension to the SN Dhingra Commission, Randeep Surjewala raised a range of questions to buttress his point including how the commission was allowed to set its own terms of reference, how the BJP government let the commission probe only 16 licences out of over 1,000 given in Gurgaon and of how Justice Dhingra is facing conflict of interest in the matter. “CM Manohar Lal Khattar unilaterally ordered the constitution of the commission on May 13, 2015, without taking approval of the Council of Ministers. No requirement under ‘matter of public importance’ defined in Section 3 of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, was fulfilled. Selection of Justice Dhingra was arbitrary as no other judge was considered,” Surjewala said. He said Dhingra Commission found that since no licence was applied in the disputed area of Sector-83, Gurgaon, nothing could be probed. “Shockingly later on, Justice Dhingra decided his own terms of reference and was allowed to do so,” he said. "The very fact that government chose to appoint a commission for looking at mere 16 licences out of 1,558 licences in Gurgaon comprising 63 acres speaks volumes about its predetermined motive,” he added. TNS