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Panchkula violence: HC vacates stay on probe by Enforcement Directorate
The Punjab and Haryana high court has vacated the stay on a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into alleged funding for the 2017 Panchkula violence.
The Punjab and Haryana high court has vacated the stay on a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into alleged funding for the 2017 Panchkula violence.
The violence had erupted in the aftermath of conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim in two rape cases of 2002 by a Panchkula CBI court on August 25, 2017.
The dera chief’s conviction had triggered arson and violence across Haryana that had claimed 36 lives and left 250 people injured in Panchkula alone. ED had initiated a probe in 2018 following an order of the high court.
The allegations are that Rakesh Kumar, personal assistant to Ram Rahim, was involved in meetings on the dera premises in Sirsa and Panchkula for initiating riots in Panchkula at the time of conviction of dera chief, along with other members, and he was the main person who collected ₹1.25 crore from Honeypreet and then handed over it to Chamkaur Singh, another dera functionary to distribute it in Panchkula.
The confession in this regard was made by Chamkaur before the Haryana Police SIT probing the violence.
The ED had to investigate the source of funds, and for this purpose statements of Honeypreet, Chamkaur Singh, Rakesh Kumar, Pawan Kumar Insan, Surendra Insan, Gobi Ram and Ram Singh were to be recorded.
On March 13, 2019, the CBI court gave permission to ED to record their statements. However, Pawan Insaan approached the high court against the CBI court order and secured a stay.
Now, the HC order has paved way for an ED probe into this case, said Arvind Moudgil, senior counsel, Government of India, who appeared for ED in the matter.
The order from HC says, “It is clarified that as of date, neither any stay operates nor the pendency of this petition shall be a ground for adjournment before the trial court/appellate court.”
However, the petitioner has been given liberty to file a fresh application for stay and hearing on his plea has been posted for March 31, 2023.
