HC pulls up Har govt, issues fresh warrant against Sant Rampal
11 Nov 2014 6:04 AM IST
Rejecting Haryana government’s plea that self-styled godman Sant Rampal was unwell and his arrest would create law and order problem, Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday issued a fresh non-bailable arrest warrant against him in a contempt case and cancelled his bail in a 2006 murder case.
Observing that the state government lacked willingness to arrest the self-styled godman and no sincere efforts were made to produce him before it, the HC directed the Haryana director general of police (DGP) and the home secretary to ensure that Rampal appears in person before it on or before 17 November.
If Rampal again fails to appear before it, then the DGP and home secretary will have to appear
before it in person, a division bench, headed by justice M Jeyapaul, said.
The bench took strong exception to the constitution of a medical board by the Hissar district authorities to examine Rampal’s health, and held that the medical board was ‘invalid’ and the Haryana DGP’s ‘status report’ on the self-styled godman’s health ‘is not acceptable’.
The court also said the government’s plea that casualties might take place in the course of arrest of Sant Rampal is ‘unjustified’. The government’s counsel had earlier submitted before the bench that Rampal could not be brought in court as women and children were sitting in front of his ashram at Barwala in Hisar district, resisting his arrest and that the authorities wanted to avoid any violence.
The high court also cancelled the bail granted to Rampal in a 2006 case of murder and sought the entire file pertaining to the case. Rampal was granted bail by the court in 2008 in connection with the murder case.
The court observed that Rampal should not think that he is sitting in a bunker and law will not be able to catch him.
Observing that the state government lacked willingness to arrest the self-styled godman and no sincere efforts were made to produce him before it, the HC directed the Haryana director general of police (DGP) and the home secretary to ensure that Rampal appears in person before it on or before 17 November.
If Rampal again fails to appear before it, then the DGP and home secretary will have to appear
before it in person, a division bench, headed by justice M Jeyapaul, said.
The bench took strong exception to the constitution of a medical board by the Hissar district authorities to examine Rampal’s health, and held that the medical board was ‘invalid’ and the Haryana DGP’s ‘status report’ on the self-styled godman’s health ‘is not acceptable’.
The court also said the government’s plea that casualties might take place in the course of arrest of Sant Rampal is ‘unjustified’. The government’s counsel had earlier submitted before the bench that Rampal could not be brought in court as women and children were sitting in front of his ashram at Barwala in Hisar district, resisting his arrest and that the authorities wanted to avoid any violence.
The high court also cancelled the bail granted to Rampal in a 2006 case of murder and sought the entire file pertaining to the case. Rampal was granted bail by the court in 2008 in connection with the murder case.
The court observed that Rampal should not think that he is sitting in a bunker and law will not be able to catch him.
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