New Delhi, July 16: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today termed Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's recent statement "defending" former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his family, facing corruption charges, as "unfortunate" and said it would prejudice the ongoing probe. According to Punjab government counsel D K Sharma, in his affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court in reply to petitions by five Wimpy International Ltd employees who were allegedly picked up from here and taken to Punjab last month without informing the local police, Singh said following Advani's statement Delhi Police has started "non-cooperation" with the Punjab Vigilance Bureau.
"The Deputy Prime Minister should not have made such a statement in favour of Badal and his family as it would affect the morale of the investigators," Sharma quoted the Chief Minister as having averred in the affidavit.
A division bench of Justice Usha Mehra and Justice Pradeep Nandrajog adjourned the matter till August 4 as Singh's affidavit had not been placed on record till the time of hearing.
In the meantime, the undertaking given by the Vigilance Bureau counsel A M Singhvi that the five accused would neither be interrogated nor would their statements be recorded by the police or a magistrate, would continue, the bench said.
Earlier, the court had issued notices to Capt Singh, State Home Secretary, Addl. DG A P Pandey, SP Surinder Singh, DIGs Siddharth Chattopadyaya, K K Uppal and K J S Pannu (all vigilance officials), Delhi Govt, DCP South and ACP Greater Kailash seeking explanation as to how Wimpy men were taken to Punjab from the jurisdiction of the court.
Bureau Report