The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) petition related to the devastating floods in the state saying that the court does not want to divert the officer's time -- who are busy in relief work -- in filing an affidavit to the PIL.
A division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry said that any court order at this stage would divert the human resource of the government currently needed to deal with the flood situation, reported Bar and Bench.
"The officers are right now dealing with the ground situation. They will have to sit down and file affidavit for this. We don't want to do that," the High Court has been quoted as saying.
According to the report, the High Court said that they (officers) will be extricated from that flood relief and "they will be sitting on a table, preparing an affidavit for your petition, which we don't want to do."
In the PIL, it was argued that the flood has been caused by the mismanagement of the government and other authorities and that the relief work being done by the government is bare minimum.
The High Court, however, said that it will hear the matter next week with similar petitions related to Punjab floods.
"We will take it up on Monday," Chief Justice Nagu reportedly said. According to the report, Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain, representing Punjab government, told the court that the authorities are doing their best. "Government of India, State of Punjab..we are doing our best. Yesterday, the Agriculture Minister was there. This is not the time to raise this issue," Jain has been quoted as saying.
Jain said that the Supreme Court has taken note of the floods in a case heard on Thursday. The High Court, on On September 2, had refused to pass any order on a similar PIL seeking court-monitored relief and rehabilitation measures in the state, the report noted.
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