Ambala Cantt property dispute: Contempt notice to former DC, SSP, 4 others

Haryana Democratic Front general secretary Chitra Sarwara and Indian National Lok Dal state spokesperson Onkar Singh were among those sent notices

In a 2017 case of title suit of a 39 bigha 6 biswa property in Ambala Cantt’s Hathikhana area, an Ambala court has issued contempt notices to former deputy commissioner (DC) Ashok Kumar Sharma, incumbent senior superintendent of police (SSP) Hamid Akhtar, Haryana Democratic Front (HDF) general secretary Chitra Sarwara, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) state spokesperson Onkar Singh and two local YouTubers Yashpal Khabrilal and Jagjit Sufi.

The order comes almost a month after the officials of the municipal council, Ambala Sadar, had conducted a demolition drive at the site. Despite heavy police presence, the officials had to face resistance from locals. (Bloomberg)

The officials were issued summons on Monday under Section 2(b) (civil contempt) of the Contempt of Courts Act for disobeying the court judgement dated July 6, 2017, while the others were given notices under Section 2(c) (criminal contempt) where the publication (whether by word, spoken or written or by signs or by visual representation, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever.

As per the notices, the said persons have been asked to appear before the court in person at 10am on July 29.

The order comes almost a month after the officials of the municipal council, Ambala Sadar, had conducted a demolition drive at the site. Despite heavy police presence, the officials had to face resistance from locals.

Apurva Chaudhary, executive officer of the civic body, said that they had stopped the construction once and given notices in due time. “We only demolished the boundary walls and three shops that were recently constructed illegally,” he said.

However, the prosecution’s counsel, Momin Malik, claimed that the construction was demolished despite a civil court decree already passed in favour of one Khajan Devi in 2017, where the court had restrained the civic body from interfering in any manner into the possession over the property.

“The officials can misuse their extraordinary unlimited administrative powers against my client and her family members to implicate in fake cases and forcibly dispossess them from the property.....and have also mentally tortured, harassed them through their employees of police and other administrative officers,” the petition reads.