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Chandigarh: Just six days before the Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections in Punjab, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday asked the State Election Commission (SEC) to clarify by Wednesday its stand on an inquiry ordered into a viral conference-call audio clip.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu was hearing petitions filed by former MLA Diljit Singh Cheema and other PIL petitioners, who alleged that the clip revealed directives to “stop Opposition candidates at home or on routes, follow local MLAs’ instructions, protect ruling AAP supporters with favourable reports, and push returning officers to reject nominations”—amounting to attempts at engineering uncontested victories and violating the Model Code of Conduct.
ADGP-Level Probe Flagged; Report Awaited
During the hearing, counsel for the SEC informed the court that an inquiry had been assigned to ADGP SPS Parmar and that the report was awaited. Taking note, the Bench adjourned the matter to Wednesday, saying this would “enable the State Election Commission to come out with a stand.”
Forensic Examination Dispute
Counsel for the Punjab government told the court that the original recording device was necessary for a proper forensic analysis.
However, the petitioners argued that the available electronic material was sufficient and sought that the examination be conducted by the UT Chandigarh Forensic Science Laboratory rather than Punjab’s FSL to ensure independence.The Bench did not pass any direction on the forensic request and kept the matter pending, posting it for the day after tomorrow.
