27122024-LT-01.qxd 12/26/2024 10:49 PM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune SHIVPURI TEMPLE DESECRATION CASE CRACKED, ACCUSED HELD HEERAN, ATTIANA BOYS LOG EASY WINS IN HOCKEY THEY ROCKED THE RED CARPET The Khanna police have nabbed a wanted accused in connection with temple desecration case. P2 Gurwinder Singh scored a hat-trick to enable Heeran XI stitch up an easy 9-0 win over Gursar Sudhar. P2 Alia at the Met Gala, Priyanka at the Red Sea Film Fest and Nancy Tyagi aced their fashion game on the global stage. P6 » » » FORECAST CLOUDY/RAIN MAX 19°C | MIN 7°C YESTERDAY MAX 19°C | MIN 7°C SUNSET FRIDAY 5.32 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 7:23 AM FRIDAY | 27 DECEMBER 2024 | LUDHIANA HC quashes FIR against ex-minister Ashu in tender allotment case Clean chit for two District Food & Civil Supplies Controllers, contractor Legal Correspondent Ludhiana, December 26 In a significant judgment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that the Vigilance Bureau’s (VB) action against former Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, along with District Food and Civil Supplies Controllers Sukhwinder Singh Gill and Harveen Kaur, amounted to “misuse of power for reasons unknown to law”. While quashing the FIRs registered against them in the alleged foodgrains transportation tender allotment scam of Rs 2,000 crore, the court observed that the proceedings were initiated at the instance of the complainant “merely to harass”. Justice Mahabir Singh Sindhu in his detailed order stated, “The launching of prosecution by complainant Gurpreet Singh (an unsuccessful bidder) is a glaring example of cloaking a contractual dispute related to the procurement and transportation of foodgrains as a criminal offence. This amounts to misuse of VB’s authority, initiated solely to harass the petitioners.” The case pertained to FIR No. 11, dated August 16, 2022, registered under various sections of the IPC and Prevention of Cor- ruption Act at the VB police station in Ludhiana. According to prosecution, the ex-minister was solely responsible for changing the policy 2020-21 for tender allotment for foodgrains just to favour his favourite contractors. It was alleged that with the change of policy by adding sub-clause 5G new participants were debarred by terming them ineligible. After hearing the arguments, the HC observed, “The amendement of clause 5 (G) of the policy for 2020-21, which has been made the sole basis for initiation of criminal prosecution, has already been judicially reviewed by the Division Benches of HC and the same were duly upheld. Moreover, the policy was framed by the Government of Punjab and thus it cannot be said that the decision to that effect was taken solely by petitioner Bharat Bhushan Ashu”. It also held that the allegations in the FIRs did not disclose any cognizable offence. The Bench further noted that the petitioners, Ashu, two DFSC and successful bidder Paramjit Chechi, were implicated without any valid basis. “Even no mens rea can be attributed to Gill and Kaur as they were merely discharging their official duties with due diligence,” the court observed. On the inclusion of Paramjit Chechi in the FIR, the court pointed out that the complainant Gurpreet Singh and witness Rohit Kumar, both unsuccessful bidders, had vested interest and sought to malign Chechi out of vengeance.“Theallegationofproviding fake registration numbers of vehicles does not constitute any offence,” the court ruled. Emphasising on the misuse of power, the court highlighted that the VB failed to verify facts before initiating the proceedings. It concluded that the FIRs were a clear case of vindictive action initiated at the behest of the complainant. The order was pronounced a few days back, but the copy was available now. A day after FIR, SAD councillor joins AAP Ludhiana, December 26 In an interesting turn of events an Akali councillor joined AAP as soon as an FIR was filed against him on the charges of assault and kidnapping. The councillor, Chatarveer Singh, alias Kamal Arora, was later welcomed by AAP minister Laljit Bhullar. Arora had won the election from ward No. 20 on December 21, where he defeated AAP candidate Ankur Gulati by 415 votes. After this, on December 22, AAP worker Rakesh Kumar, who lives in Sanjay Gandhi Colony, got a case of kidnapping and assault filed against Arora. The very next day on December 23, he joined AAP . In the complaint to the police, Rakesh had said that the incident took place on December 21 during the municipal elections. He was posted at the AAP booth outside BCM School in Sector 32 when Arora and his aides clashed with him over some election issue. On the other hand, Arora added that he was misled by a man named Harvinder Singh, who convinced him to leave the polling area for safety. Following this, he was kid- c m y b napped and taken to a deserted area on Bhamian Road, where he was assaulted. A police official privy to the investigation said that matter was being investigated. Further action will be taken on the basis of the investigation report. — TNS Illegally parked trucks on highways risk to commuters These are mostly stationed near tea stalls and dhabas Tribune News Service Ludhiana, December 26 The practice of parking commercial vehicles, trucks and trailer trucks on highways in Ludhiana district has become a menace, posing significant risk to safety of commuters. These vehicles are often parked outside dhabas and eating joints, creating a hazardous situation for other road users. Earlier also, some accidents have taken place in the district owing to this. During the foggy days and night hours, this becomes the prime cause of road mishaps as other vehicle drivers sometimes fail to notice the stationary vehicles and ram into these. The consequences in such situations can be devastating, even resulting in loss of life, injury and damage to property. This illegal practice is not only proving to be a traffic hazard, but also contributing to traffic congestion as other drivers are forced to slow down or change lanes to avoid these stationary vehicles. During a survey on the highways in Ludhiana, Khanna, Samrala, Machhiwara Sahib, Jagraon, Doraha, Trucks parked on a highway in Ludhiana. PHOTO: INDERJEET VERMA Sahnewal and Dehlon, trucks and trailers were seen lying parked on the JalandharLudhiana highway, Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway, Ludhiana-Khanna highway, Ludhiana-Malerkotla road, Khanna-Samrala highway and Ludhiana-Jagraon highway. Most of these vehicles were parked outside dhabas or small tea stalls. Meanwhile, residents have demanded that the issue be addressed and the authorities concerned must take stringent measures to prevent illegal parking of these commercial vehicles on high- ways. Designated parking areas must be created near dhabas and eating joints and strict penalties must be imposed on drivers who flout the rules. Residents also added that increased awareness and education were necessary to highlight the dangers of illegal parking on highways. The authorities must hold awareness campaign, especially during winter season and make the drivers and even eating joint owners aware about the risk of parking vehicles on the highway.