New Delhi, Feb 2 (IANS) The Supreme Court Tuesday sought the stand of the central and Punjab governments on a plea by former Maharashtra police chief S.S. Virk that they should be sued for contempt of court for allegedly going against an apex court order.
A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice J.M. Panchal and Justice B.S. Chauhan sought the two government’s stand on Virk’s plea, issuing notices to a senior home ministry official and a top Punjab government official.

The officials who were issued notices to answer Virk’s charges included Punjab government’s Principal Secretary in Home Department A.K. Talwar and Under Secretary K. Natrajan of Union Home ministry.

The Chandigarh bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) had on April 3 quashed Virk’s suspension from the post of state police chief. He had been suspended following his arrest in September 2006 for alleged corruption.

The Punjab government subsequently moved the Punjab and Haryana High court and secured a stay over the CAT’s order, which was subsequently suspended by the apex court May 26, 2008 on an appeal by Virk.

Appearing for Virk, senior counsel S.S. Patwalia, accused the Union government of being in undue haste in giving its opinion to Punjab government in June 2008 as to whether the central or the state government is the competent authority to take disciplinary actions against Virk, who had also headed Punjab police earlier.

Patwalia said despite the apex court categorically ruling on May 16, 2008 that union government was the competent authority to take disciplinary actions against Virk, the Punjab government approached the central government June 7 to seek its opinion as to whether the centre or the state was the right authority for the purpose.

And the union home ministry, displaying undue haste, issued them a certificate the very next day June 8, saying it was the state and not the central government, said Patwalia.