Malerkotla DC, SSP residences to be evicted for sessions judge

Office-bearers and activists of various outfits of government employees of this erstwhile princely state of Malwa have urged the Punjab Government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, to keep the sanctity of its notification of creating Malerkotla as a district 54 months ago on June 2, 2021.

The district is yet to construct premises for various offices of judiciary and executive wings, besides residences according to entitlement of the officers of both wings. Even as the design for the infrastructure for residences of district and session judges is pending for approval by the authorised committee of the Department of Justice, temporary residences of Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police are likely to be vacated soon in compliance with the interim orders passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court recently in connection with a petition filed by the Malerkotla Bar Association.

“How can judiciary or executive functionaries deliver their fullest when the required infrastructure and entitled facilities are not provided to them,” argued government officials. President of the Revenue Kanungo Union Harvir Singh Dhindsa said that residents were demanding immediate solution to the existent impasse due to lack of infrastructure and facilities.

Dhindsa regretted that members of the Revenue Patwar Union and DC Office Employees Union have to visit Sangrur to get the genuineness of documents and testimonials submitted by people verified as substantial categories of records pertaining to Malerkotla tehsil office are still kept in Sangrur. The office of one of the oldest tehsils of the state is running from a building owned by the Mandikaran Board, lamented Dhindsa.

The then Congress government led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had created Malerkotla as the 23rd district of the state on June 2, 2021, following approval by the Cabinet to use various existing premises as offices and residences.

It was argued that the Malerkotla needed to be upgraded to a district as it was a historic place for being a land from where Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan pleaded for the younger Sahibzadas at the time of their sacrifice. This is also the place where Kuka Sikhs were martyred for revolting against the tyrannical orders of Cowan, the then deputy commissioner of Ludhiana.

Since its creation, the district has been facing an acute lack of dedicated buildings. Things became unmanageable following creation of sessions division in Malerkotla in 2023 as no premises were available for court rooms and residences of the judicial officers.

Having failed to get the required infrastructure in routine, the District Bar Association sought intervention of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the matter. On September 12, the Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry directed that the guesthouse and a residence currently occupied by Malerkotla Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police be vacated forthwith and allotted to the District and Session Judge for use as residence and, if viable, as courtroom.

The court had later rejected Punjab Government’s plea to review the orders, following which the government challenged the orders in the apex court through a special leave to appeal that was withdrawn with liberty to file an application for modification of order dated September 12. However, the application praying for review/recall of the order was rejected by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on November 21 and was adjourned to December 5.

Perusal of a communiqué addressed by then DC Sangrur (the parent district) to the Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Punjab, Department of Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management, on June 1, 2021 (a day prior to the notification of creation of Malerkotla) revealed that buildings of the Punjab State Tubewell Corporation, PWD Rest House, SP office, SP residence, forest officer residence, BDPO office meeting hall-1, EO office, XEN and SDO residences on the PSTC premises, first floor SDM office, BDPO meeting hall-2, quarters at the Civil Hospital, GM, DIC office, first floor, Improvement Trust on first floor, Urdu Academy on second floor, BEd block, Government College, and Urdu Academy were requisitioned for subsequent approval by the Punjab Government Cabinet on June 2, 2021.

When contacted for latest development on the issue, Malerkotla Deputy Commissioner denied any comments as the matter was sub-judice in the count. However, he confirmed that the process for construction of the litigant wing and residences of judicial officers had already been initiated.

wuw