Additional District and Sessions Judge faces probe on Simarjit Singh Bains’ complaint

Saurabh Malik

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Chandigarh, December 21

The functioning of an Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ), Sandeep Singh Jossan, has come under the scanner with the initiation of a regular departmental inquiry against him.

Documents in the possession of The Tribune indicate that the inquiry has been initiated on the complaint of Simarjit Singh Bains — ex-MLA and president, Lok Insaaf Party.

In a complaint to Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police, Bains had among other things alleged that the officer had provided wrong information to a passport officer after procuring “false documents from various government and private authorities to obtain a fresh passport for his daughter”.

Bains is currently lodged in the Barnala district jail in connection with a criminal case registered against him.

The inquiry against Jossan is being carried out before Ajay Kumar Sharda, District and Sessions Judge and Director, Administration of Chandigarh Judicial Academy. As a part of the process, the “inquiry officer” has at least twice issued production warrants to the complainant for enabling him to adduce evidence in the pending matter.

The inquiry proceedings for the purpose of recording Bain’s evidence as a witness in the matter were initially fixed for December 16 and now stand adjourned to January 12.

Fresh production warrants sent to the jail superintendent say: “It is informed that a regular departmental inquiry is pending against Sandeep Singh Jossan, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Hoshiarpur, on the complaint filed by Simarjit Singh Bains.”

“Since the attendance of Bains is required as a witness into the inquiry, he may kindly be produced to depose as a witness on production warrants in person or through video-conferencing before the undersigned on January 12, 2023, at 11 am in the Chandigarh Judicial Academy.”

Posted as an Additional Sessions Judge at Fazilka, Jossan had about five years back in an unrelated case summoned Congress MLA Khaira and four others to face trial as an additional accused. The judge had convicted 10 accused and simultaneously decided application under Section 319 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for summoning Khaira and others as additional accused by passing the order.

The Supreme Court in the matter has already laid down guidelines for the trial courts on the use of the authority under Section 319.

The case

• The officer had allegedly provided wrong information to a passport officer after procuring “false documents from various government and private authorities to obtain a fresh passport for his daughter”.