10 months on, state yet to inform HC on free power to gaushalas
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 15
Nearly 10 months have lapsed since Chief Secretary and PSPCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director landed themselves in a contempt loop during the hearing of a petition alleging willful disobedience of judicial order on the issue of providing free electricity to gaushalas. The state is yet to provide information on whether the decision has been taken by a committee on free supply of electricity.
Justice Nirmaljit Kaur had issued notice in January after the Bench was told that the respondents had made themselves liable for punishment in accordance with law for not complying with the previous order directing their high-level committee to examine in a time-bound manner whether the state could discontinue its scheme for providing free electricity to gaushalas, while collecting cow cess from the citizens.
As the case came up for resumed hearing, the state counsel sought time to “have instructions as to whether any decision has been taken by the committee….” Taking a note of the submission, Justice Avneesh Jhingan has fixed the case for further hearing in mid-December.
The petitioner, Shri Gow Rakshini Sabha, through counsel Nitin Thatai and SC Thatai, had asserted that a detailed representation was sent to the office of both respondents in pursuance to the High Court order. But the decision in the matter was pending. The facts and circumstances made it abundantly clear that the act, conduct and illegal actions were intentional and amounted to willful disobedience.
The disconnection of a scheme launched by the previous Akali-BJP government for providing free power to cow shelters had generated political controversy. The opposition had attacked the government for accumulating approximately Rs 50 crore from cow cess, but discontinuing free power scheme initiated by the previous government.
Disposing of a bunch of petitions, Justice Rajan Gupta of the High Court had directed committee comprising the Chief Secretary and PSPCL Chairman to look into the matter before taking appropriate decision.
Justice Gupta’s Bench was told that the petitioners were aggrieved by a commercial circular, whereby recovery of pending dues on account of free electricity to registered gaushalas was ordered. Justice Gupta, during the course of hearing, asked the state counsel to specify whether the matter could be examined and decided by the authorities concerned. In response to the court query, the counsel told the Bench that it could, indeed, be done by the state and other respondents.
