Advt spending details: HC dismisses Punjab’s plea seeking recall of order
Court gives four-week- time to chief secy to collect info and submit it three days prior to March 11 hearing; on January 21, details were sought during proceedings of a bail matter in which it had come to light that forensic report about the CCTV footage is pending; and is to be procured from Central Forensic Laboratory, Chandigarh
The high court has dismissed a plea by the Punjab government seeking recall of the order that directed the state to give details of government spending on advertisements. The high court bench of justice Sandeep Moudgil, however, gave a four-week- time to the chief secretary to collect the information and submit it three days prior to March 11 hearing.
On January 21, the high court had asked the chief secretary to furnish a detail of expenses met out between April 1, 2024 and January 20, 2025, on the publication of advertisements on performance and achievements of the government and new vehicles purchased for police officials.
Details were sought during proceedings of a bail matter in which it had come to light that forensic report about the CCTV footage is pending; and is to be procured from Central Forensic Laboratory, Chandigarh, as no forensic lab in Punjab has infrastructure to examine genuineness and veracity of the CCTV footage or clips.
During the proceedings on January 21, the officer, Punjab FSL director Dr Ashwani Kalia had revealed to court that the process for procurement of requisite equipment for three labs--- Bathinda, Amritsar and Ludhiana, could not be initiated due to lack of funds/budget allocation. This had prompted the court to pass adverse remarks and directions to the chief secretary to give details on government spending on advertisements.
On January 29, the state government had filed an application seeking recall of the order seeking spending details on advertisements stating that Kalia made a “wrong statement” for which he has been issued a show-cause notice on January 26, seeking his explanation. He has been asked to explain the reasons for not utilising the funds allotted for the upgrade and modernisation of equipment in labs. As many as ₹16 crore remained unutilised funds with him, which were meant for purchase of equipment, the government had claimed before the court.
The bench, while dismissing the application seeking recall of the order stated that no cogent reason for recalling the order has been made by the government and on the said date Dr Kalia had “in clear words” admitted to have been short of funds/ expenses.
On the request that more time be granted to compile the details, the bench agreed with the same observing that information sought court needed to be compiled after collecting it from various sources and departments, which is a time-consuming process. Hence, request being “genuine and bona fide”, one last opportunity of four weeks is granted to the chief secretary for furnishing the information, it ordered.
It is to be recalled that a coordinate bench on January 30 has also sought personal affidavit of the principal secretary, finance, Punjab, over failure to submit details of government spending on advertisements and social welfare schemes.
Details in this case were sought on September 23, 2024. These proceedings are about pending bills of private hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. The details of advertisement spending have also been sought in a petition, wherein the government is accused of dillydallying on clearing arrears of employees and pensioners. At one point of time, the government had told high court that arrears of sixth pay commission of state government employees and pensioners up to March 2024, estimated at ₹18,228 crore, would be paid in a staggered manner up to financial year 2030-31. After the order was passed in October 2024, the government went in appeal and the order in question was stayed in December.