Work withdrawn from 3 HC judges

CHANDIGARH: In a major fall-out of the ongoing probe into the multi-crore job-for-cash scam in the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), three senior judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court have been divested of work with immediate effect in a rather rare assertion of authority by Chief Justice Arun B Saharya.
The judges are ML Singhal, Amarbir Singh Gill and Mehtab Singh Gill.In the new roster of division and single benches issued by the High Court, the names of these judges are not included.
The work allotment roster has clearly stated that pending division bench or single bench cases, part heard or reserved for judgment by ML Singhal, Amarbir Singh Gill and Mehtab Singh Gill, stand discharged and the same shall be listed for fresh hearing.
This is the second instance of its kind in the judicial history of India, the only other being the case of retired Supreme Court justice V Ramaswamy, against whom impeachment proceedings were launched but failed.
The second case comes in the wake of confessional statement recorded before a magistrate by an accused in the PPSC scam who was one of the main conduit for Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu, the suspended chairman of the PPSC who is now in custody in Patiala Central Jail, and the subsequent inputs provided to the chief justice by a two-member team of senior Punjab police officers AP Bhatnagar and Chander Shekhar.
It was alleged that these judges secured Sidhu’s help for selection of their kin or acquaintance in the PPSC exams. Singhal and Amarbir Singh Gill allegedly secured the favour for their daughters, while Mehtab Singh Gill had allegedly recommended the son of a judge of another High Court for selection to some post.
Incidentally, Singhal’s daughter had been selected for the Punjab Civil Medical Service (PCMS) while Amarbir Singh Gill’s daughter had topped the Punjab Civil Service (Judicial) exam in 2001. However, subsequently, the vigilance bureau had reportedly given a clean chit to Mehtab Singh Gill.
Following media reports about the alleged involvement of judges in the PPSC scam, there were a spate of demands from legal fraternity, including the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association, for immediate action, either on the judicial or administrative side.
The association persistently mounted pressure for a probe into the matter by organising a one-day strike, passing resolutions and submitting a memorandum to the Punjab governor. A deputation of the association had also called on the Union law minister Arun Jaitley.
Significantly, the new roster has left vacant the name of second judge in seven of the eight division benches, exception being the first division bench which comprises of the chief justice himself and Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, apparently to provide for the seven judges who are due to take oath next week.