HC seeks AAP govt's stand on pleas against Rs 1 cr to Grewal's

The Delhi high Court today sought the AAP government's response on PILs challenging its decision to award Rs one crore compensation and a job to the family of an ex-armyman Ram Kishan Grewal, who allegedly committed suicide over the OROP issue.
"File your (Delhi government) response if any," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said while posting the matter for hearing to March 21.
The court, which in November last year had said that it will pass its order on the pleas, has now fixed the matter in March on the ground that it will take up the issue along with two similar petitions pending before it for consideration.

The bench had on November 7 last year reserved its verdict for today on two PILs, which the AAP government had termed as premature.
The Delhi government had defended its decision to award Rs one crore to the family of Grewal, saying it was a "policy matter" which has to go to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) for approval.
The plea by advocate Avadh Kaushik, who has also opposed the government's decision to declare Grewal as 'martyr', has said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should not "glorify" the "act of suicide".

Another petitioner Puran Chand Arya, through his counsel Abhishek Choudhary, has sought a direction to restrain the government from going ahead with the decision till the court pronounced its order.

Retired Army Subedar Grewal on November 1 last year had allegedly committed suicide over 'One Rank, One Pension'(OROP) issue during a protest.
One out of the two petitions which will also come up for hearing on March 21 has challenged the city government's decision to declare as a "martyr" a Rajasthan-based- politician-cum- farmer Gajendra Singh Kalyanwat who had allegedly hanged himself at an AAP rally at Jantar Mantar on April 22, 2015.
The incident had occurred during an anti-land bill rally called by Aam Aadmi Party.
The pleas, which came up for hearing today, have claimed that the AAP government has decided to give 'martyr' status to Grewal and it should not award compensation like this as it was taxpayers' money.

"A person who has committed suicide has been awarded the status. It will promote suicide in the society," the PIL has claimed.
Advocate Kaushik, who had on two earlier occasions challenged similar decisions of the Delhi government granting compensation and government job to kin of individuals who had committed suicide, told the bench that this was the third time when the government has taken such a decision.
In his plea, he alleged that by granting compensation and a job to kin of the ex-serviceman, the Kejriwal government has "glorified, justified, supported, propagated and consecrated the act of suicide".
He has sought directions from the court to quash or set aside the decision saying it amounts to "misappropriation of public funds".

The PILs have also sought a direction to the Centre, the LG and the Delhi government to "frame a proper and valid scheme or policy for declaring a deceased person as a 'martyr' and to award the compensatory benefits and perquisite to his family".