According to the petition, police case was allegedly an eyewash as no action was taken against the local leaders of the area who were allegedly aiding the racket. (Representational)
In wake of the hooch tragedy that has killed over 100 in Punjab, a 33-year-old Mohali resident has filed a civil writ petition at the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking either a CBI probe or an inquiry by a sitting judge of the High Court. The petition has been accepted, but is yet to be taken up by the court.
The petitioner, Parampreet Singh Bajwa, who is a practicing advocate in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and a social activist, has pleaded that Punjab government has not taken the adequate steps for fair and impartial investigation in the case.
The petitioner has stated that an illegal distillery-cum-liquor bottling plant which was unearthed at Rajpura and Ghanour in district Patiala on May 14, 2020, was making huge money during the lockdown by selling illicit liquor under the guise of popular brands in Punjab and Haryana, following which local Police also lodged FIR at Police Station Shambu, Patiala and booked Dipesh Kumar, Harpreet Singh, Bachi, Amrik Singh, Amit Kumar and one unknown cold store owner and an unidentified person.
According to the petition, police case was allegedly an eyewash as no action was taken against the local leaders of the area who were allegedly aiding the racket.
Bajwa has submitted that during lockdown, it was impossible for anyone to transfer such a huge amount liquor bottles without political patronage.
The petitioner has further submitted that two Congress leaders have put their own state government in the dock over the hooch tragedy, claiming that it show that senior leaders of state government themselves have no faith in the state agencies regarding investigation of the illegal liquor racket.