Deputy mayor of Jalandhar challenges his conviction

On August 20, a Jalandhar district and sessions judge had dismissed his petition, challenging an earlier court order, passed in 2009, sentencing him to the two years imprisonment. Bhatia’s latest petition has been filed in the high court registry and will come up for hearing this week. He was arrested on August 20 and is serving time.

Bhatia, it is learnt, has claimed that his conviction on the face of it is illegal, on the grounds that “the prosecution had submitted misleading facts in court and acted in a biased manner”.

Kamaljit Bhatia has also submitted that as he is a senior deputy mayor, the sanction to prosecute him had not been sought from the competent authorities.

The case dates back to 2000, when Bhatia was a councillor. After reports of illegal encroachments on a 120-feet wide road near Lucky palace, IAS officer Krishan Kumar, then municipal commissioner, was on the spot to identify the illegal buildings for demolition. Bhatia reached the spot and allegedly asked Kumar and his team to leave the area.

When the IAS officer refused, a brawl allegedly ensued. Kumar then called the local police and an FIR was registered.