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HIGH COURT
Railways
given deadline on extra fare
Tribune News ServiceChandigarh, August 23
Taking up a public interest litigation filed by a retired Brigadier against the charging of extra fare by Northern Railway authorities from commuters travelling between Kalka and Ambala Cantonment, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Chairman of Railway Board to decide the petitioner’s representation within two months. Pronouncing the orders on Brig. K.S. Grewal’s petition, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice J.S. Khehar and Mr Justice M.M. Kumar, also directed the respondent to inform the petitioner about the decision within two weeks of the decision. In his petition, the brigadier had contended that even though the distance between Kalka to Ambala Cantonment was 70 km, a fare for 105 km was being charged. The petitioner had further stated that fare for 67 km was being charged from commuters travelling between Chandigarh and Ambala Cantonment even though the actual distance was 45 km. As a result of this, the travellers were paying one and a half times extra, he had claimed. Giving details, counsel for the petitioner had stated that additional fare was being charged as, according to the authorities, the area was hilly. This was not the case. Moreover, the fare in accordance with the actual distance covered was being charged to travellers commuting between Mumbai and Pune even though the train passed through Lonawala and other hill stations. Seeking the quashing of the policy, he had claimed that the same was illogical, arbitrary, against public interest and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.
Order reserved on teachers’ pleaIn an affidavit submitted before a Division Bench of the High Court, Punjab’s Secretary of School Education, Mr R.S. Sandhu, today stated that the first preference for appointment as teachers would be given to candidates possessing EET, JBT and B.Ed qualifications. The Secretary, in his affidavit, added that a separate merit list of ETT, JBT and B.Ed candidates will be prepared and “they shall be appointed in this order of preference” after their suitability was adjudged. He also stated that the state government, after reconsidering the matter, had agreed to call for interview ETT and JBT candidates left out of the process. The candidates would be interviewed by the same departmental selection committee that had conducted the interviews, he claimed. After going through the affidavit and hearing the arguments, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice Amarbir Singh Gill and Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar, reserved orders on a bunch of petitions filed by teachers Ravinder Singh, Satinder Singh and others.
ADGP’s plea for
another BenchThe appeal of Punjab’s Additional Director-General of Police Daljit Singh Bhullar against the trial court’s orders, sentencing him and three others to life imprisonment in a triple murder case, was today referred to another Bench by Mr Justice H.S. Bedi and Mr Justice A.S. Garg of the High Court. The appeal will now be placed before the Chief Justice of the High Court for appropriate orders. The case pertains to the murder of a non-resident-Indian and a business partner of the Bhullar family, Dr Paramjit Singh Sahota, and two others in 1996.
Seat reservation
order challengedMr Justice Amar Bir Singh Gill and Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar of the High Court issued notice to the state of Punjab and Baba Farid University for February 7 on a petition filed by a Ludhiana resident, Aseem Sunda, against the Punjab government’s notification of May 25 whereby 85 per cent of the seats for admission to MBBS, BDS, BHMS, BAMS and other medical courses were reserved for candidates passing the 10 plus one and two from institutes in Punjab. Terming the notification as illegal, counsel for the petitioner, had argued that Mr Aseem, resident of Punjab since birth, had passed matric and plus one examination from Ludhiana but due to unavoidable circumstances did his plus two from Chandigarh.
Notice to Chautala
on suspension
Our Legal CorrespondentOn a writ petition filed by the Sub Divisional Officer with Haryana Irrigation Department and a close relative of All-India Youth Congress President Randeep Singh Surjewala, a Division Bench of the High Court issued notice of motion to the state of Haryana and Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala for August 28. Seeking the quashing of the orders dated August 16 whereby he was placed under suspension in an illegal and arbitrary manner, the petitioner, Mr Arun Kumar, had submitted that since Mr Surjewala had contested the elections on the Congress ticket against Mr Chautala from the Narwana Assembly constituency, he was being harassed.
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