‘Dhingra panel being used by BJP for political witch-hunt’

The Congress on Friday said the Justice S.N. Dhingra Commission of Inquiry has become a political tool for a malicious witch-hunt by the BJP government. The RTI record and subsequent events establish a political agenda of vendetta and revenge unleashed by the RSS and top BJP leadership with the sole aim of keeping the issue alive for muckraking and mudslinging, it said.

A statement issued by Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said: “Purpose is plain and simple. Let the lies, falsehood, media propaganda and manufactured allegations to malign and defame Congress leadership continue.”

Mr Surjewala said: “The constitution of the commission, subsequent amendments in its scope, proceedings of the commission and conduct of the hon’ble judge heading the commission unequivocally point towards a predetermined animosity and a ‘fixed match’ with utter disregard for truth or facts.”

He said it is shocking that the Dhingra Commission, at the very onset, found that since no licence was ever applied in the area of Sector-83, Gurgaon, nothing could be probed. Consequently, Justice Dhingra himself proposed and decided his own terms of reference. “This must be the first case in independent India’s history where a commission has decided its own terms and government has merely accepted the same as proposed without any application of mind.”

Mr Surjewala alleged that Justice S.N. Dhingra has compromised his position as an independent and neutral player by accepting favours from the Haryana government for a trust headed by him, including accepting gift of land for this trust from a private individual.

Justice Dhingra heads Gopal Singh Charitable Trust based in Niti Bagh, New Delhi. A private individual in Gurgaon has proceeded to gift a chunk of land to this trust leaving aside a few thousand trusts operating in Haryana including many such trusts and NGOs located in Gurgaon.