HC upholds Dhingra panel appointment, but finds procedural irregularities in serving notice to Hooda

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Thursday gave a split verdict on the procedure adopted in issuing notice to Bhupinder Singh Hooda by the S N Dhingra Commission constituted to look into alleged illegalities in the grant of land-use licences during former chief minister's regime.

While one of the judges quashed the report and directed no action against Hooda, the other held the report as "non est".

Among the alleged beneficiaries was Congress president Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra.

A two-judge bench ruled that though there was no malafide in setting up of the commission in 2015 but, but there were procedural irregularities in serving notice to Hooda.

The judges, however, differed on the next course of action after finding the procedural irregularities in issuing notice under Section 8 B of the Commissions of Inquiry Act to Hooda by the one-man commission headed by Justice (retd) S N Dhingra.

While one judge wanted just a fresh notice issued to Hooda, the second judge wanted a new commission to be set up, according to Haryana Advocate General Baldev Raj Mahajan.

Accordingly, the ruling was referred to the chief justice of the high court so that a three-judge bench can be set up to resolve the differences.

The split verdict was given by a bench of justices Ajay Kumar Mittal and Anupinder Singh Grewal.