Chandigarh, Dec. 9 — Days before Punjab’s Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday questioned the status of an inquiry into a viral audio clip that PIL petitioners say points to planned election interference.
Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, heading the Bench, asked the Punjab State Election Commission to clarify by Wednesday whether an ADGP-level probe—assigned to S.P.S. Parmar—had made any progress. The Commission told the court the inquiry had already been undertaken at its level and the report was awaited.
Petitioners, including former MLA Diljit Singh Cheema, told the court the clip appeared to contain instructions to “block opponents at homes or on their routes,” follow “orders of the local MLA,” and “protect ruling AAP supporters with favourable reports.” They said the alleged directions extended to returning officers being told to reject nominations, enabling uncontested wins and breaching the Model Code of Conduct.
During the hearing, counsel for the Punjab government said the original device containing the recording was necessary for a complete forensic analysis. The petitioners pushed back, arguing that the available recording should be examined immediately and that the test should be carried out at the Forensic Science Laboratory in the Union Territory of Chandigarh rather than within Punjab.
The Bench did not pass any order on the forensic request but kept the matter pending, saying it would review the Commission’s stand on Wednesday—just as Punjab moves into the final stretch before the rural body polls.
