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Raj time MLA lost 50 acres in
1942, his son gets it back now
WSN Network
CHANDIGARH: How fast do you
think one can get justice in
India?
Here is an example: This man began his fight before the British left
India, and in 1942 they confiscated his ancestral land. This month,
the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the Punjab Government to
allot land to the heir of freedom fighter late Sampuran Singh in
lieu of his 50-acre land confiscated in 1942 by the British. As for
the apathetic attitude of the government for nearly half a century,
the court imposed Rs 50,000 in costs. And come to think of it, this
freedom fighter was an MLA himself and later the first Deputy High
Commissioner in Pakistan! Of the 60 year long battle, nearly 16
years were spent in the High Court itself. Sampuran Singh was an
MLA from Lyallpur (Pakistan). During the pre-Partition days, he was
one of the leading personalities in waging the freedom struggle. The
British treated his activities as an act of treason and confiscated
his 50 acres’ fertile land in Pir Mahal of
Lyallpur
district of Pakistan.
After
Independence, he
came to India and was appointed the first Deputy High Commissioner
in Pakistan. It was in 1948 during his stint in
Pakistan
when he began his battle to get back the land. However, he died in
1958. In 1979, when his wife came across the relevant papers of the
case, she started taking up the matter with the authorities seeking
compensation in lieu of the land. Finally in 1993, the family was
granted Rs 72,050 as compensation in lieu of 50 acres confiscated
in 1942; Rs 17,300 as principal amount and Rs 54,750 as interest. In
order to challenge this “benevolence”, Paramjit Singh Gill, son of
the petitioner, moved the High Court. The writ petition was admitted
on November 14, 1994. “Since then it is pending adjudication before
the court,” Justice Ranjit Singh stated. The court directed the
state government to locate the land at an appropriate place for
allotment to the petitioner in lieu of the confiscated land.
18 February 2009
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