Chandigarh, May 21: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab State Media In-Charge Baltej Pannu on Thursday said Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has suffered a major political and legal setback after the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed his petition in a Gram Panchayat land encroachment matter and imposed a cost of ₹6 lakh on him.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, Baltej Pannu said the High Court verdict has exposed what he described as repeated attempts by the Congress MLA to portray himself as a victim of political vendetta. He alleged that the case was related to the illegal occupation of a public street and public passage belonging to Gram Panchayat Ramgarh.
According to Pannu, complaints were received from local residents alleging that a gate had been illegally installed in a public passage by Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Kulbir Singh Khaira, causing obstruction to the movement of villagers. He claimed that the matter was examined through official records and reports submitted before the Court.
Baltej Pannu stated that records including the Measurement Book of Gram Panchayat Ramgarh, reports prepared by the Junior Engineer, SVAMITVA records and satellite imagery were placed before the Court during the proceedings. According to him, these documents indicated that the disputed land was part of a public street and public passage developed by the Gram Panchayat for common public use.
The AAP leader further claimed that the Court also took note of allegations that the installation of the gate amounted to illegal obstruction and encroachment over a public passage. He said the obstruction could affect the movement of emergency services such as ambulances, police vehicles and fire brigade services.
Baltej Pannu alleged that when government officials and the administration attempted to remove the alleged encroachment, Sukhpal Singh Khaira opposed the action and created hurdles in the legal process by using political influence. He said the High Court’s order has now given a “clear answer” to what he termed the Congress MLA’s “illegal conduct.”
According to Pannu, Sukhpal Singh Khaira had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court through a petition in an effort to prove innocence in the matter. However, he claimed that the Court completely dismissed the petition and imposed exemplary costs of ₹6 lakh on the Congress leader.
The AAP leader also referred to observations reportedly made by the Court regarding the alleged misuse of judicial proceedings. He stated that the Court observed the petition had been “artfully and cleverly drafted” to create an impression that Supreme Court directions were being violated, whereas the dispute was essentially related to alleged encroachment on public property.
Baltej Pannu further said the Court noted that contempt jurisdiction cannot be used for settling political or administrative disputes. According to him, the Court adopted a strict stance and directed that the imposed amount should be equally distributed among the respondents against whom proceedings had been initiated. He added that the Court also clarified that if the amount is not paid, it could be recovered as arrears of land revenue.
Targeting the Congress MLA, Baltej Pannu alleged that Sukhpal Singh Khaira has often made allegations against political opponents without facts and used social media to spread misleading statements. He claimed that the High Court verdict has exposed the Congress leader’s role in the alleged encroachment matter.
The matter has now triggered fresh political reactions in Punjab, with AAP leaders using the verdict to target the Congress party and raise questions over alleged encroachment of public property.
