Ranjit Singh Sarkaria, J. - (1.) THE Petitioner and the Respondents in these writ petitions have exposed enough chinks in the armory of each other to reveal how the largesse were being distributed on account of political patronage. At stake was the public property belonging to Municipal Committee, Karnal. The accusing finger is towards the then Local Bodies Minister, Dr. Mangal Sain of Bhartiya Janta Party and Seth Lachhman Dass Bajaj of the same party. They have been impleaded as Respondents by name to answer the allegations of malafides alleged against them. One of them has filed response. Dr. Mangal Sain, however, has chosen to remain silent.
(2.) THIS is a case where the Municipal Committee and the private individual involved have acted in violation of the interim order passed by this Court. That could have been possibly done due to some influence of high up. This Court had protected the public property from sale and despite that one of the Respondents has been able to construct thereon and has continued to enjoy the fruits of such construction till now. It is now stated to be a prime property. In countless cases, Courts of law have passed orders to protect the public properties from being usurped and it was done in this case. Still, an individual with apparent connivance of Municipal Committee Staff has violated the orders passed by this Court. It is a matter of serious concern and would call for drastic action to restore the majesty of law. If a party can arrogate himself to defy the orders passed by a Court of law, then he has to be apprised that law and Courts of law are not helpless and can handle and deal with such violators of law adequately.
(3.) A few facts to get grasp of the defiance revealed in this case. Two out of these three writ petitions are filed by same Petitioner, making somewhat contradictory plea to claim some right in his favour. Sunder Singh is the Petitioner in Civil Writ Petition No. 7597 of 1989 and co -Petitioner in Civil Writ Petition No. 9350 of 1989. He has not only challenged the sale of a prime plot located on old G.T. Road in favour of Respondent, Jai Dayal (now dead) alleging that this was being done to distribute largesse in his favour by the then Minister, at the same time, he has prayed for sale of the same plot to him at the reserved price. When this Petitioner learnt of another move made by yet another person, named, Dr. Bodh Raj Chawla (now deceased) to stake a claim for buying this plot, he filed second writ petition to impugn the same. Late Dr. Bodh Raj Chawla has filed Civil Writ Petition No. 9807 of 1991 to pray for sale of a plot in his favour which is now being prosecuted by his legal heirs to press this claim. Late Dr. Bodh Raj Chawla and party have claimed to be lessee and, thus, are invoking their right to purchase this plot.;