Ropar, Dec 05: The hearing of the regular bail plea of former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal in a disproportionate assets case will be taken up by special court today.
On December 03, as the arguments by the counsel for the plaintiff concluded , the prosecution sought time to reply on them. After this, Special Judge S K Goyal adjourned the hearing of the case till 1400 hrs today.

The plaintiff`s counsel sought a regular bail plea for the father-son duo on the grounds that the investigation in the case has been completed and the challan already filed on November 22.

Earlier, leading the arguments, plaintiff`s counsel H S Mattewal, former Advocate General of Punjab, challenged the jurisdiction of the special court to try the case of graft against the Badals. Mattewal also challenged the trial on the grounds that no sanction from the competent authorities for the prosecution of the senior Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal, a Rajya Sabha member, had been procured.

Punjab Assembly speaker Dr Kewal Krishan had, however, given the sanction for the prosecution of the senior Badal, who is also the leader of the opposition in the assembly.

Mattewal also contested the challan on yet another ground that no preliminary inquiry was held before filing the charge under Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act as required under the law.
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Badal`s nephew Manpreet Singh Badal were also present in the court.

Badal and his son were sent to judicial custody till December 13 following the rejection of their interim bail plea on Monday.

Bureau Report