Not allowed to speak in IAF case, says ex-MCG boss

GURGAON: The high court hearing on the 900-metre IAF zone ended without any judgment on Friday. The MCG was represented by former MCG commissioner Praveen Kumar, who was made a party in the case in the previous hearing to suggest ways to shift the existing IAF ammunition depot from its present location.
According to officials, the judge hearing the case took objection to Kumar still representing the case despite being transferred from the MCG.
Kumar told TOI that he was not allowed to speak. "The moment chief justice (acting) Ashutosh Mahanta saw me, he asked me the reason for my being present in the court. I told him I am a member of the panel constituted by the previous judge, had done adequate research on the topic and can come up with possible solutions. However, the court did not show any interest in listening to me and said that it would file contempt of court charge against me," he said. "As much as I respect the judicial authority and sanctity of the court, I feel it is the
responsibility of the court to give a fair chance to somebody to express himself. The ammunition depot case affect lakhs of people and I feel that a solution should be found at the earliest so that their lives are not affected.
I don't think the court should think I'm fit for a mental asylum after having done so much research on this topic. I have downloaded over 600 pages of documents to find out solutions on how to deal with this case and the court did not allow me to even speak," said Kumar.