Punjab govt initiates legal action against BBMB chairman for ‘misleading’ court

Chandigarh: The Punjab government has initiated legal measures against Bhakra Bees Management Board (BBMB) chairman Manoj Tripathi for “deliberate misrepresentation of facts” before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

In a strongly worded rebuttal filed as a detailed reply in writ petition, the Punjab government has vehemently refuted assertions of illegal detention concerning the BBMB chairman.

An official spokesperson of the state government said that during the live court proceedings on May 8, Tripathi “admitted he was only surrounded by local citizens and was assisted by the Punjab Police in leaving safely. However, in a subsequent affidavit dated May 9, 2025, Tripathi on the contrary alleged he was subjected to illegal detention, a claim directly conflicting with his prior in-court statement”.

Consequently, the Punjab government has invoked Section-379 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, requesting the High Court to initiate an inquiry into an offense under Section-215 of the BNSS, which pertains to the submission of a knowingly false affidavit.

Further, the state seeks the initiation of contempt of court proceedings against both Tripathi and Sanjeev Kumar, Director (Water Regulation), for wilful disobedience of the High Court’s order dated May 6.

Elaborating on the matter, the state government clarified that the High Court’s order dated May 6, 2025, solely mandated the implementation of decisions taken during a meeting on May 2. The Punjab government contends that no such decisions were ever formally communicated to either the state authorities or the BBMB chairman himself.

Despite this, Tripathi misrepresented the court’s order, claiming that the court had ordered the release of 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana, thereby misleading the BBMB staff, the court and stakeholders and distorting the factual matrix before the judiciary, the official claimed.