A day after Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to remove minister Lal Chand Kataruchak from the Cabinet over alleged “sexual misconduct”, Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the case.
In a letter to the Punjab Governor, Bajwa said to do justice in the case, Purohit should forward the matter to the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court to treat it as a suo motu writ petition and hand it over to the CBI for a fair investigation.
He said even after the scientific confirmation of the authenticity of the video at the Governor’s level, the CM is dragging his feet and taking no action against the tainted minister.
In the letter, Bajwa said the episode of moral turpitude of the food and civil supplies minister Kataruchak in the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab has become the talk of the street and a cause for shame to the constitutional office continued to be held by him even after scientific confirmation of the authenticity of the video by the Governor.
The Congress leader said as per the allegations of the victim, Kataruchak befriended and sexually exploited him on the promise of a government job on becoming legislator. He said the fact came to light on the nonfulfillment of the promise held to the victim.
“After scientific verification of the contents of the video, your goodself (Governor) had forwarded the same to the Chief Minister, Punjab who has simply constituted a Special Investigation Team, which is apparently to drag on the action against the minister,” Bajwa said in the letter.
“Therefore, as Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, I request your goodself to forward this matter to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court to treat this case as a suo-motu writ petition for a judicial appraisal of the facts and handing over the same to the Central Bureau of Investigation so that a fair investigation is carried out in the interest of high probity expected from the representatives of the people,” he added.
When asked about the action being taken against Kataruchak, the Governor on Thursday said the minister has committed a heinous crime and he has no right to continue in the Cabinet.
“I want to bring it to the attention of the CM that he should immediately take action against the minister. You should not forget it’s a heinous crime that he has done. He has no right to stay (in the Cabinet).. he should be eased out,” Purohit told reporters at a Press conference when asked about Kataruchak.
The Punjab government has constituted a three-member special investigation team (SIT) to probe into the allegations of sexual misconduct against the minister.