Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Sep 29 (IANS) After remaining expelled from the Punjab assembly for over two years, former chief minister Amarinder Singh re-entered the house Wednesday after the Supreme Court restored his membership in April this year.

Amarinder Singh was welcomed outside the Punjab assembly complex by Congress legislators and later escorted into the house where the legislators briefly thumped their tables as he entered.

The Congress is the main opposition party in Punjab.

The Supreme Court in its ruling had said the ouster of former Punjab chief minister from the state assembly on charges of corruption was unconstitutional.

A five-judge constitution bench headed by the then Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan ordered the restoration of Amarinder Singh’s membership to the present assembly.

Amarinder Singh was expelled from the assembly Sep 10, 2008, for allegedly favouring a private party in granting a plot of prime land in Amritsar during his days in power (2002-07).

The expulsion came after an assembly committee recommended action against him.

The house committee, dominated by the ruling Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), had earlier also held Amarinder Singh and others in his government guilty of a land scam in Amritsar.

The former chief minister was indicted for violating “norms in patronizing and abetting the dilution of terms for favouring a particular party in executing a city centre project” on 32 acres of prime land in Amritsar. This had allegedly caused huge losses to state exchequer.

Amarinder Singh’s Patiala assembly seat was declared vacant and the Election Commission was approached for holding a by-election there. The election was stayed by the court.

Amarinder Singh is also facing vigilance probe in other corruption-related cases like the multi-billion Ludhiana city centre scam, among others. The cases were registered during the tenure of the present Akali Dal government.