The Jharkhand High Court, while hearing a PIl related to pending criminal cases against politicians in the State, directed DGP DK Pandey to file a detailed report over pending and undertrial cases against MlAs in Jharkhand.
In his affidavit filed earlier by the DGP before the Division Bench of Justice DN Patel and Justice Ratnakar Bhengra, had stated that out of 126 criminal cases pending against the tainted MlAs, investigation in 93 cases was still pending while final charge sheets had been filed in 7 cases and trial was on in 63 other cases.
“The court has asked DGP to file a detailed report regarding pending and under trial cases against politicians,” said petitioner’s counsel Rajeev Kumar. Vidhan Sabha must be freed from such things if one wants healthy democracy in the country, observed the Court verbally.
In another case, Division Bench of Chief Justice PK Mohanty and Justice Ananda Sen asked Madhucon Projects limited engaged in the four laning project of Ranchi-Jamshedpur section of National Highway – 33 that why a case under National Security Act (NSA) and proceeding of contempt should not be initiated against it for not abiding by the directions of the court.
The court was hearing a PIl initiated suo-moto on trees being cut haphazardly to widen roads across the State on Monday in the name of widening and construction of roads in the State. A news report published in a local Hindi daily on June 23, 2014, had triggered the PIl in the year 2014 which said that road construction department cut thousands of trees but did not plant saplings.
“A detailed report was submitted in the Court along with 160 photographs and video footages related to it. Out of 126 km, abnormalities were found in the repair work of 29 km where they tried to hide the potholes by putting water into it so that actual depth of it could not be measured,” said Sikarwar. The Court, getting annoyed over it, asked the construction company why a case under National Security Act and contempt proceedings should not be initiated against it, he added.
Advocate Hemant Sikarwar had been appointed Pleader Commissioner by the Court on May 2 to inspect the Tata Ranchi Highway and submit a detailed report on actual condition of the road and whether it has actually been completed or not.