Jagman Singh to be examined in PPSC scam

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Friday assured the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it would take steps to have Jagman Singh examined as the first witness for prosecution in the case of disproportionate assets against Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu, the former chairman of Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) now in judicial custody in Central Jail, Patiala.
The undertaking was given by public prosecutor Rajinder Singh Cheema before the division bench of Justice Swatanter Kumar and Vinay Mittal.
He also stated that charges against Sidhu would be framed on Friday itself in the Ropar court. The charges against Sidhu have since been framed by the prosecution before the special judge, Ropar and the case would now come up for evidence on January 25.
However, the case pertaining to the trap laid by the vigilance bureau for Sidhu would be heard by the same court on January 10, 2003.
Jagman Singh who has since turned approver, has approached the court for directions to the special judge, Ropar to examine him as the first witness in the case and to grant him bail thereafter as he had been made to suffer detention despite the fact that he chose to be on the right side of law by voluntary disclosures and deciding to assist the state.
In a related writ petition, Jagman Singh has challenged the constitutional validity of the section 306(4)(b) criminal procedure code asserting that the same contravened Article 21 of the Constitution of India because it says that every person accepting an apology tendered in custody shall be kept in detention till the termination of proceedings.
After preliminary hearing, Justices Swatanter Kumar and Vinay Mittal issued notice to the Union of India and the state of Punjab for December 16 and 17 when the matter would be heard. The respondents have been directed to file replies within three weeks.
Dalal plea for probe The petition preferred by former Haryana minister Karan Singh Dalal Member of Legistative Assembly seeking a comprehensive probe into the purchase of electricity meters running into crores of rupees with a view to replace the existing meters used by different categories of consumers is to be heard in February, 2003.
This direction was issued by the division bench headed by Justice Amarbir Singh Gill on the application moved by Dalal seeking fixation of time for the hearing of his public interest litigation (PIL), which was admitted sometime back by the division bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi but no specific time had been fixed.
However, the court turned down Dalal plea for staying the installation of the new meters dur ng the pendency of the petition.
Bail extended Justice Kiran Anand Lal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday extended the anticipatory bail already granted to the former Punjab minister and senior Akali leader Ranjit Singh Brahmpura till January 27 when the case would come up for hearing again.
Brahmpura had sought the bail amid apprehension that being a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee and also a member of the political affairs committee (PAC) of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) headed by the former chief minister Prakash Singh Badal, the present Congress government could implicate him in some false case.