Remove material from shamlat land: HC to Ghai’s Mukta Arts

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday directed Mukta Arts of Bollywood producer-director Subhash Ghai to remove building material lying at a site in Badhsa village, Jhajjar, within a month, and disposed of the case. The special Division Bench comprising Justices Jasbir Singh and Rakesh Kumar Jain further directed Mukta Arts to remove the boundary walls and bricks constructed over 20-acre shamlat land to set a up film institute, Whistling Woods.

During the resumed hearing of the case, the court was apprised that panchayat land had been restored and the panchayat had refunded the amount to the company along with interest.

On September 11, 2012, the high court had quashed the sale deed of the land. The court had directed Ghai to hand over possession of land to the village panchayat, and told the panchayat to return Rs 8 crore to Ghai along with interest.

The court passed the order after taking note of a petition alleging favouritism by the Haryana government in granting permission to sell the 20-acre shamlat land to Ghai.

24 petitions for regularisation of homeguards dismissed

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday dismissed 24 petitions seeking regularisation of homeguards working with Punjab government. A Division Bench held, "It is not possible for the court to either give directions to the state to frame a scheme for regularisation of home guards or give directions to create posts." In one of the writ petitions, 910 homeguards had sought directions to state to treat them as regular employees.

MLA defection: HJC moves HC

Haryana Janhit Congress president Kuldeep Bishnoi on Friday approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging state Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma's order regarding the defection of five HJC MLAs to the Congress after the 2009 Vidhan Sabha polls. The petition will come up for hearing this week. In his petition, Bishnoi has alleged that the order passed by the Speaker on January 13 was "unconstitutional and done with malafide intentions". In his order, the Speaker had held that the merger of the HJC with the Congress as valid and quashed HJC's disqualification petitions.

ALSO READ

Rail traffic hit due to protests over Sajjan's acquittal

Family of 1971 POW awaits his return from Pak, fears for his life

Anti-Pakistan protests erupt in Sarabjit's native village

Promised jobs in Iraq, 20 youth return empty-handed