HC summons auction record of shamlat land

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 5

More than a year after the Punjab and Haryana High Court took cognisance of a petition alleging illegal leasing out of shamlat land for seven years to former minister Sohan Singh Thandal’s son, a Division Bench has called for the auction record.

The Division Bench of Justice Mahesh Grover and Justice Rajbir Sehrawat asserted there was a specific averment that the Block Development and Panchayat Officer was not present at the time of auction. “Let the record of auction be produced on the next date of hearing,” the Bench said.

The developments took place on a petition filed by Karam Singh against the state and other respondents. Appearing before the Bench, petitioner’s counsel Bhanu Pratap Singh had contended that proper publication was not carried out. He asserted even if the matter was given out in one newspaper, the particulars of the land to be auctioned were not mentioned.

Referring to Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Rules, the counsel had contended there was clear violation of the same to favour the son of a respondent, who was a minister at that time.

The counsel had told the court that 21 acres of shamlat land, situated in Marula village at Garhshankar, was illegally leased out through auction on February 27, 2015.

The Bench was also told that rules were violated in an attempt to favour Ravinder Singh Thandal, son of Sohan Singh. The petition was filed in 2016, when Thandal was a minister in the SAD-led state government. The case will come up for hearing in April.