The Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday urged the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to take suomotucognisance of the audio clip release in a drug case involving AamAadmi Party (AAP) leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira.
Talking to media persons after a resolution moved by the government on the issue, the CM said any attempt to cast aspersions on the judiciary would be rejected by the people. The defence services and the judiciary were the two institutions in which the people had complete faith and any effort to denigrate them was intolerable, he added.
The CM said it had AAP been serious about raising its concerns, or had there been even an iota of authenticity in the said tape, they would have gone to the Chief Justice before releasing the same. The manner in which the tape was released and then the matter sought to be raised with the Chief Justice shows that the allegations levied against the judge are totally bereft of any truth, he added.
The people have full faith in the judiciary and will not be diverted by such gimmicks, said Amarinder, adding that such acts were unacceptable and the judiciary should take serious note of the issue and act on it.
Asked about the offensive language used, and personal attack launched against him by Khaira in the House, the CM said it exposed the petty and spiteful mindset of the leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly.
Earlier, the House passed the resolution deprecating the irresponsible and malevolent release, by LokInsaaf Party (LIP) legislators Simarjit Singh Bains and Balwinderjit Singh Bains, of the audio recording purported to be a conversation about payment of Rs 35 lakh to a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court in relation to a revision petition filed by Khaira.
The resolution read that “The House strongly condemns the wrongful involvement and scandalous allegations being made against the Hon’ble Judge which is clearly for political purpose and vested motives. The judiciary in India and its Hon’ble Judges are an irreplaceable pillar of democracy and merit our highest respect and deference.”
“The House urges the Hon’ble Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to take suo-moto notice or cognisance of this incident and further action as required as the scandalous allegations amounts to nothing short of impairing the majesty of law, obstructing the administration of justice and lowering the image and dignity of the Court and its Hon’ble Judges in the eyes of public at large,” the resolution further said.