- (1.) Leave granted.
(2.) These two appeals involving similar questions of law and fact were taken up for hearing together and are being disposed of by this common judgment. Nirmal Singh Kahlon, Appellant in appeals arising out of SLP (C) Nos. 24777-24778 of 2005 was the Rural Development and Panchayats Minister in the Government of Punjab while the three appellants in appeals arising out of SLP (C)Nos. 25226-25227 of 2005 were working as Deputy Directors in the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats, Government of Punjab at the relevant time.
(3.) The State of Punjab had enacted the Punjab Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.;