Row over ‘casteist remarks’: High court to hear Raja Warring’s plea against SC panel proceedings today

A petition from Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring challenging proceedings initiated by the Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes for his alleged ‘casteist’ remarks against former Union minister Buta Singh, is likely to be taken up by the high court for hearing on Friday.

A petition from Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring challenging proceedings initiated by the Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes for his alleged ‘casteist’ remarks against former Union minister Buta Singh, is likely to be taken up by the high court for hearing on Friday.

The matter was listed for hearing before the bench of justice Suvir Sehgal on Thursday. However, the bench ordered the listing of the case before some other bench. Following this, Warring’s lawyer had requested the chief justice in the evening that the matter be listed on Friday.

The matter was listed for hearing before the bench of justice Suvir Sehgal on Thursday. However, the bench ordered the listing of the case before some other bench. Following this, Warring’s lawyer had requested the chief justice in the evening that the matter be listed on Friday.

Warring, while campaigning in favour of the Congress candidate for the November 11 Tarn Taran assembly bypoll, allegedly made some remarks about the former Union minister Buta Singh, a veteran Congress leader, which drew widespread criticism, and a criminal case was filed against him on November 4 in Kapurthala. The commission had also initiated proceedings subsequently.

Warring in the high court has sought the quashing of proceedings initiated by the Commission, and as an interim measure stay on the proceedings.

He has alleged that commission chairman, Jasvir Singh Garhi, is actively interfering with the ongoing police investigation in the FIR and directing the police officials to investigate the case in “a certain manner and to further arrest him”. The plea also seeks quashing of the directions issued by the commission on November 3, whereby election/returning officers were directed to take legal action against him and banish him from the Tarn Taran district. “The impugned proceedings initiated by the commission are not only a politically motivated media circus but also in transgression of its authority and jurisdiction, as the commission has no power to interfere either in an ongoing police investigation or in a matter within the ambit of the election commission,” Warring has stated.