CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh who has been indicted by a Vidhan Sabha Committee in infamous Amritsar Improvement Trust land scam on Sunday joined the issue and flayed the report tabled in the house in utter violation of constitution.

The nine member Vidhan Sabha Committee headed by MLA Harish Dhanda had indicted Captain Amarinder Singh, former local bodies minister Chaudhary Jagjit Singh and former Chairman of Amritsar Improvement Trust Jugal Kishore for exempting 32.5 acres of land belonging to a real estate promoter from development scheme after acquisition process was completed.

Claiming innocence, Amarinder Singh said that his his decision to exempt land for private development in a Amritsar Development Scheme was based on the policy laid down by  the previous government led by Parkash Singh Badal who himself exempted two Properties namely: Amarjit Enclave and Dr's Enclave totaling  around 87 acres from the same project. He said that his government had exempted 32.5 acres under the same policy.

He stated that his Government on the other hand had made Badals policy more stringent, by adding that any such exemption to be given by PUDA must first get a no objection from the local Improvement Trust. Protecting former Local Self Government, Choudhary Jagjit Singh and the Chairman of the Improvement Trust Amritsar, Jugal Kishore acted within the framework of the policy, in a proper manner, and it is absolutely incorrect to attribute any motives to this.

Amarinder Singh said that the present Badal Government has released in the same manner 1260 acres of land acquired by PUDA, during the past one and a half years, for which acquisition notice's under section 4 and 6 had been issued. Details are given below. He said that Schemes Dropped by Present Government After Notification Of Section 4 & 6 are
1302.13 acres on Hoshiarpur Jalandhar road at Village-Nangalshama,Chohak,  2653.54 Acres on G.T.Road Amritsar,Village  Sultanwind, 3201.05 Acres in Nawanshaher,Village Barnala  Kalan, 4104.05 Acres at Khanna, Village Bullapur  in Fatehgarh Sahib, Village Sirhind  ,mandofal & attewali.

He said that by producing a report of, 9 members of a house committee, out of which effectively 6 members from the ruling coalition took part, and took the decision, while the 3 Congress members dissented, is a decision based on political bias and not judicious in any manner. This is against the principal of natural justice and a violation of the principal of 'Due process' enshrined in our Constitution.

He maintained that the constitution as interpreted by a five judge bench of the Supreme court clearly states that, 'any business in the house dies with the dissolution of the house'. This is laid down by the five member bench of the SC of India in the Gujarat Assembly case of 2002.

The speaker in the house is the custodian of the Constitution, in this matter, he has clearly acted in an arbitrary manner by violating the constitution, which has taken an oath to protect.

Amarinder Singh said that there were seven cases pending in the Punjab & Haryana High Court on the Veer Enclave project, including a case filed by him. This clearly makes it Sub Judice. The rules of the Vidhan Sabha, Rule 39(10) and Rule 150(d) make it obligatory on the Government and the Speaker to ensure that no matter which is Sub Judice can be discussed in the House. By doing so, the Speaker has violated the the rules of the Vidhan Sabha, and he has also shown disrespect to the High Court by permitting a sub-judice matter to be discussed.

Former Chief Minister said that by the violation of Article 21 of the Constitution and the violation of the principal of 'Due process', the committee has been wilfully biased. It has clearly taken its direction from Badal and his son, both of whom went to jail in my time when they were sent there by the trial court, and not by an Executive or Legislative decision.

He declared that the charges leveled by the House Committee against him Ch Jagjit and Jugal Kishore are false and politically motivated. Holding Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal responsible for curbing the legal course, he said, "We shall take whatever legal recourse necessary, and in due course the People of Punjab will see for themselves to what extent  Badal and his son can go to violate the Constitution and the law of the land, to achieve what they desire. We will fight them all the way in the courts as well as in the court of the people".

It is recalled that issue of Amritsar land scam was raised  by congress leader and former deputy speaker Bir Devinder Singh in Vidhan Sabha in 2006 and Amarinder Singh himself had assured to get the matter probed by Vidhan Sabha Committee.