CHANDIGARH, May 28– The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday postponed the hearing in the contentious Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) matter until July 8, citing the summer recess. The case, already drawing legal and public attention, was last heard by a Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel.
During proceedings, Punjab argued that access restrictions to the BBMB facility were not enforced by authorities but arose from a large crowd gathered at the site.
“As regards the police presence, it was on their own asking,” senior advocate Gurminder Singh submitted on behalf of the state. “And the restriction, if any, was by the crowd which had gathered at the spot. Because of the issue being sensitive, the court is aware a large protest has taken place on the site.”
His remarks followed earlier assertions from the BBMB Chairman, who had claimed before the Bench that he had been locked out of the installation by protestors. At the time, the court expressed disbelief and suggested a prima facie case of contempt existed for violating prior orders that barred interference with BBMB’s operations.
BBMB counsel and senior advocate Rajesh Garg expressed concern over the postponement, warning that the delay could exacerbate the situation.
“If this matter goes up after vacation, we may face the same problem during the June period also,” Garg submitted. “So long as the police force is there, under the garb of the stand they are now taking—that we are not preventing anybody from going there—the situation is status quo. We are in a day-to-day predicament.”
Addressing the security aspect, Garg noted that the deployment of central forces would take time, as arrangements and financial commitments were still pending. Additional Solicitor-General Satya Pal Jain confirmed the Centre’s decision to station CISF personnel, but clarified it was contingent on BBMB depositing ₹8 crore.
The legal dispute originated from a petition filed by a gram panchayat, represented by advocates R. Kartikeya and Ridhi Bansal, challenging interference in BBMB’s functioning.
The next hearing is scheduled for July 8.
