Parwinder Jhota murder case: HC seeks govt reply on demolition of accused properties

Taking a strict stance on the murder of Parwinder Singh Jhota, who raised his voice against drugs in Mansa city, the high court has directed the state government to submit a report on the investigation conducted so far and explain which law was followed while demolishing the houses and shops of the accused.

The hearing took place before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor. Appearing on a suo motu action initiated by the court and a petition by Labh Singh, Senior Advocate Baltej Singh Sidhu and accompanying lawyers stated that the activist was shot.

The lawyers argued that the demolition of the accused's shop and house by the local administration has created a risk of destroying crucial evidence from the crime scene. They said that demolishing buildings without a complete investigation could adversely affect the entire criminal case probe.

The high court directed the government to provide the complete legal process of the demolitions and details of the action taken so far before the next hearing. This case file will now be tagged along with the ongoing drug matter in prisons, with the next hearing scheduled for December 15.

On the other hand, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team has restarted examining the debris of the demolished shop of accused Ashwani Kumar in Mansa. The investigating team is removing rubble using a JCB to search for fresh evidence, as no solid evidence regarding the first shot fired has been found yet.

Nothing has yet been proved in court.

Key developments

• High court seeks action report from government in Parwinder Jhota murder case
• Information sought on legal process of demolishing accused's house and shop
• CBI re-searches for evidence after removing debris of accused's shop in Mansa
• Next hearing in the court will be held on December 15