Punjab and Haryana High Court issues show-cause notice to PSPCL CMD

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, June 3

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a show-cause notice to PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) A Venu Prasad asking him why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him for “intentional and wilful defiance of its orders”.

The court has fixed July 7 as the next date of hearing. Gurdaspur-based SDO Ram Gopal had petitioned the court after he was compulsorily retired on September 4, 2020. The petitioner had claimed that he was being “punished” for flagging corrupt practices in the PSPCL.

When contacted, Venu Prasad said he was aware of the case and “would abide by the court orders”.

In the petition, the SDO claimed that on July 31, 2014, he had lodged a complaint against a Kahnuwan-based hotel owner for power theft. An FIR (no. 347) was registered at the Anti-Power Theft Police Station, Amritsar under the Electricity Act, 2003.

The petitioner claimed that he had also brought to his seniors’ notice embezzlement worth Rs 2.50 crore pertaining to civil works in the border zone, but no action was taken.

“Instead of taking action against the erring officials, I was compulsorily retired on September 4, 2020. I was also issued 18 chargesheets between 2014 and 2016,” said the petitioner.

The petitioner said he approached the High Court to get justice after the PSPCL sent him into forced retirement.

In the petition, he said on April 4 this year, the court ordered the PSPCL to allow him to rejoin duty. However, he had not received any information from the management so far.

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