High Court Examines Misconduct Allegations Against Prosecutor

The Punjab and Haryana High Court is reviewing a PIL demanding Charanjit Singh Bakshi's removal as Chandigarh's additional public prosecutor and senior panel counsel of the Centre. The petitioners, Sanjeev Kochhar and Thakur Amandeep Singh, accuse Bakshi of gross misconduct and legal disqualifications. Advocate Sumit Mehta, representing the petitioners, cited unauthorized court recordings and manipulation of judicial records.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has started hearings on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that questions the appointment of Charanjit Singh Bakshi as the additional public prosecutor of Chandigarh and senior panel counsel for the Centre.

Filed by Sanjeev Kochhar and Thakur Amandeep Singh, the petition alleges serious misconduct and legal disqualifications against Bakshi. Advocate Sumit Mehta, representing the petitioners, pointed to fraudulent concealment of serious misconduct as the basis for Bakshi's appointments, including unauthorized court recordings and record manipulation.

At a recent hearing, Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetarpal noted that although the petition initially appeared weak, the severity of the allegations required a detailed rebuttal from Bakshi. The court has requested responses from Bakshi and his appointing authorities by September 23.

(With inputs from agencies.)