Punjab commission submits second interim report to Amarinder

An inquiry commission, set up to look into the "false cases" registered against people during the decade-long SAD-BJP rule in Punjab, today submitted its second interim report to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh which found "political vendetta" involved in all the 47 cases.
The Justice Mehtab Singh Gill Commission has recommended cancellation of FIRs in 37 of these cases, while in four cases it has suggested compensation to accused acquitted by courts.
"The interim report found political vendetta involved in all the 47 cases," an official spokesperson said.
In the remaining six, it has recommended other action, such as not to file challans in courts.

The chief minister has marked the report to the Home Secretary for detailed examination and further action, the spokesperson said.
The Commission, which had submitted its first interim report, relating to 172 of the total 4,200 cases or complaints received by it, on August 23, was constituted by the Amarinder government on April 5 this year under The Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952.

The two-member Commission was entrusted the task of investigating the alleged "false cases" or FIRs registered during the SAD-BJP rule.
It was set up to "inquire into the cases where persons are said to have been wrongly implicated in alleged "false cases or FIRs in Punjab during the last 10 years and submit its report to government after such inquiry."

The Commission was tasked to recommend to the government measures to be adopted to ensure that for future, such instances do not happen. It has an initial tenure of six months which is to be extended by the government when required.
"The 47 false cases or FIRs relate to those in which complaints have been accepted and recommendations made by the Commission," the spokesperson said.
In these cases, the final report under Section 173 of the CrPC have not been presented so far and the accused have been acquitted by the courts, said the spokesperson.
With regard to serial numbers 1-37 in this list, the Commission has recommended to the Home and Judicial department to make requests to courts in a legal and proper manner for cancellation of the FIRs.

The cancellation has been recommended after taking orders from the appropriate court.
List 2 submitted by Gill to the chief minister as part of the second interim report relates to the 59 complaints dismissed outrightly by the Commission as being frivolous and not meriting consideration as they related to personal civil disputes, ranging from matrimonial to property, and did not fall into its jurisdiction, the spokesman said.
The Commission did not go into these complaints, in many of which challans had already been filed or the case was pending in court, as these were not found to be politically motivated. The Commission, in the second phase, had examined a total of 106 complaints.

The decision to set up such a Commission was taken at the first cabinet meeting of the Amarinder government.
Amarinder had, during his election campaign, promised the people of Punjab that his government would inquire into all such "false cases" to ensure justice is given to the innocent.
He had also promised that all those found guilty of implicating innocent people in fake cases would be booked.
The promise, which followed numerous complaints by victims of such cases to Amarinder during the electioneering, was also incorporated in the Congress manifesto.
Amarinder had received several complaints of "false cases" being registered against the political opponents of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in connivance with the district police officials.