Make UT sole capital of Punjab: Badal

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today reiterated the demand for making Chandigarh the sole capital of Punjab. After sharing the dais with Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Vijender Jain at a function organised at the high court premises, Badal said Punjab was the only state in the country not having its own sole capital after reorganisation.

Talking to the media after the function organised by the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association, Badal elaborated as a matter of principle, the parent state retained the original capital after reorganisation, while another capital was set up for the new-born state. He added that a separate high court for Haryana was not an issue at the current stage. Earlier during the function, Badal presented a cheque of Rs 1 crore to the Association as Punjab’s share towards the corpus of Rs 5 crore setup for the welfare of lawyers.

Addressing the gathering, he called upon the lawyers to play a pro-active role in the delivery of justice as they were an integral pillar of the entire judicial system. Badal said lawyers were the “officers of the court” and had a great responsibility towards the success of the judicial system. He also exhorted the legal fraternity to discharge their duties with professional commitment, dedication and sincerity in the larger public interest.

He lauded the high court’s pioneering role in setting up the first mobile court in Punjab at Talwara, besides unique initiative for upgrading the infrastructure in the judicial complexes across the state. He also commended the Chief Justice for creating awareness against social malady of female foeticide and drug addiction.

He assured the Chief Justice that the state government would provide all financial assistance and cooperation for the construction of judicial complexes and lawyers’ chambers in the state.

In his address Punjab Advocate-General Hardev Singh Mattewal said the interface between judiciary and state government would prove to be an ideal platform and would go a long way to strengthen the bonds of judiciary, legislature and executive.