Chandigarh, Sep. 5 (PTI): The Punjab and Haryana High Court today appointed a retired sessions judge as the Court Commissioner to oversee the “sanitisation” process of Dera Sacha Sauda premises at Sira, housing the headquarters of the sect.
The order came after Haryana government filed a plea on Friday seeking “permission to hold sanitisation process of the Dera headquarter at Sirsa under “judicial supervision”, following the incarceration of the sect chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, for raping two disciples.
“The high court bench appointed retired sessions judge AKS Pawar as Court Commissioner for the sanitisation of the Dera headquarters at Sirsa,” Haryana’s Advocate General Baldev Raj Mahajan said after the hearing in the matter today.
He said the process will be taken up immediately and will be videographed.
The state had sought the sanitisation of the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters under judicial supervision, Mahajan said.
Asked how soon the process would start, Mahajan said, “the state will request the Court Commissioner to take it up immediately.”
He said the government will provide adequate security to ensure that the sanitisation process is carried out smoothly.
Mahajan said a report of the whole process will be submitted to the high court by the commissioner, with a copy to be given to the state government.
In its plea, the Haryana government had sought appointment of area magistrate or some other senior judicial officer to oversee the sanitisation process “to ensure greater transparency”.
“In the sanitisation process, officials of revenue and taxation department would participate, besides police and other security forces,” Mahajan said.
Khattar had earlier said the high court was monitoring the Dera issue and the sanitisation process of the sect’s headquarters at Sirsa will be conducted only after the court takes up its application and gives necessary direction in this regard.
Khattar had maintained that the forces cannot enter on their own without the court directions.
The sect had yesterday said that the state government could carry out a search of its premises any time and it will cooperate with the authorities.
