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After car, DC office’s ACs, computers attached in Patiala
The action comes over the state government’s ‘failure’ to abide by a court verdict directing it to return 100 bighas of land to a Partition-hit family or compensate them for the same.
After attaching one-third salary and the official car of the Patiala deputy commissioner (DC), the court officials on Tuesday attached 40 air conditioners, 89 computers, 122 ceiling fans, almirahs, water coolers and around 454 chairs of the office.
The action comes over the state government’s ‘failure’ to abide by a court verdict directing it to return 100 bighas of land to a Partition-hit family or compensate them for the same.
Confirming the development, Richa Goyal, assistant commissioner, Patiala, said: “We have provided an inventory of furniture and other items to the bailiff (court officer) for the attachment as per the court orders.”
Along with all this, the furniture of the Patiala sub-divisional magistrate and Patiala tehsildar office have also been attached by the court officials.
The officials wouldn’t be able to use the attached furniture and electronic devices, an officer, privy to development who didn’t wish to be named, said.
The dispute dates back to 1947, when Gulam Mohammed, a resident of Jhill village in Patiala district, was forced to relocate to Malerkotla at the time of Partition and died on November 30, 1947.
In 2006, his daughter Kaneez Fatima set out to reclaim her ancestral land, or compensation equivalent to market value. In 2014, a local court had ordered that the Punjab government either return the land or pay for it according to market value.
The state government moved Punjab and Haryana high court and then the Supreme Court, both of which upheld the verdict. However, the family has not yet received a penny, which led to the latest action against the officials.
Advocate RK Nagpal, representing Fatima, expressed frustration over the ‘delays’. “It has been six years since the order and not a penny has been paid so far. The furniture and electronic devices have been attached by the bailiff. Tomorrow, furniture and other items of the divisional commissioner’s office are likely to be attached.”
