HC notice to Sukhbir, Fastway on harassment plea by cable op

Jaswinder Singh Baidwan

Akhran da mureed
Staff member
Fastway’s functioning is under judicial scanner, once again. Acting on a petition for probe by the CBI into the harassment and implication of “minor cable operators carrying on business in small towns”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today put Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on notice.
Justice Rajan Gupta of the High Court also directed against harassment of petitioner-minor cable operators. The directions came as Justice Gupta also issued notice to the State of Punjab, Fastway Transmission Private Limited and other respondents. In all, notice was issued to 11 respondents.
This is not the first time Fastway’s name has cropped up before the High Court.
Challenging Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s election as SAD candidate from Bathinda, a voter had earlier claimed: “PTC News and Fastway Cable TV Network ran the election campaign of the SAD-BJP candidates in Punjab in general and that of Harsimrat in particular”. The petition was dismissed as time-barred.
Just before the Assembly polls in 2012, the HC had also directed Punjab to respond to the allegations of Sukhbir taking over 95 per cent of the cable business in Punjab by “misusing his official position and political power”. As the petition now filed by Rajwinder Singh and other petitioners came up for hearing this morning, Justice Gupta was told that their activity was being hindered by respondent-Fastway Transmission.
As a result, they were compelled to approach TDSAT. The tribunal passed an order directing maintenance of status-quo on the functioning of cable operators. Since the day the order was passed, they were being harassed and involved in false cases, the petitioners contended, while seeking CBI probe into the matter. Directions were also sought to the state and other respondents for protection of life and liberty.
 
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