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Maintain status quo: Punjab and Haryana HC in Balbir Sidhu gaushala row
A day after high drama was witnessed at the site, Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday directed the maintenance of “status quo” while hearing a petition on cancellation of the lease of the 10-acre land in Balongi where a gaushala is being run by former Congress cabinet minister Balbir Singh Sidhu’s trust
A day after high drama was witnessed at the site, Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday directed the maintenance of “status quo” while hearing a petition on cancellation of the lease of the 10-acre land in Balongi where a gaushala is being run by former Congress cabinet minister Balbir Singh Sidhu’s trust.
The petition was filed after panchayat officials allegedly reached the site with heavy police force to take possession of the land, with the court taking up the plea issued notice for July 28, and, in the meantime, directed authorities to maintain “status quo with regard to possession as it exists today”.
Sidhu’s Bal Gopal Gau Basera Welfare Society has been running the gaushala on the land through a 33-year lease signed with the Punjab government during Congress’ regime on October 7, 2020.
The shamlat land, belonging to the Balongi gram panchayat, was leased at the annual rate of ₹25,000 per acre. But following non-payment of some lease amount, the state government had cancelled the lease on July 9.
Through the cancellation orders passed by Seema Jain, additional chief secretary, rural development and panchayats, the district development and panchayat officer, Mohali, was directed to recover the outstanding amount and deposit it in the account of the gram panchayat.
The petition by Bal Gopal Gau Basera Welfare Society, said no notice or communication was received from the gram panchayat, with which the society had entered into the lease deed, prior to cancellation of the lease deed vide order dated July 1, adding that no notice was issued even for the deposit of the lease money.
The petition said there are lease deeds which are ensuring that despite there being defaults on the part of various organisations having not deposited the lease amount, but no such order of cancellation of deed has been passed by the government.
The counsel for society further stated that after the July 1 order, the petitioner has deposited the lease amount for the year 2022-23, in the account of the gram panchayat. He further contends that the petitioner is ready to pay the lease amount even for the next year as well.
The high court, while issuing the notice asked Punjab government to file an affidavit within two weeks, providing details on the number of types of deeds that have been entered into by the gram panchayat in Punjab, along with the data as to in how many cases, the lease deeds have been cancelled and within how much time on default of non-deposit of the lease amount.
The high court has also sought details with regard to the lease deeds still subsisting despite there being default on the part of the lessees.
