IN THE HIGH COURT FOR THE STATES OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH Civil Writ Petition No.18264 of 2010 Date of decision: October 12, 2010. Parwasta Singh & Ors. ...Petitioner(s) v. State of Punjab & Ors. ...Respondent(s) CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE KANWALJIT SINGH AHLUWALIA Present: Shri V.K. Sandhir, Advocate, for the petitioner(s). Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia , J. (Oral): Harvinder Kaur – respondent No.4 is a lady Sapranch of Gram Panchayat Mathiara, Tehsil Rajpura, District Patiala. She was removed by Director, Department of Rural Development and Panchayats, Punjab on the ground that her father-in-law is in illegal possession of the panchayat land and consequently an FIR has been registered against her. Vide the impugned order dated 12.4.2010 (Annexure P-3), the Financial Commissioner & Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayat, Punjab (Appellate Authority) has set aside the removal of respondent No.4. Aggrieved against the same, present writ petition has been filed. In the impugned order, the Appellate Authority has rightly held that the petitioner-Sarpanch cannot be held liable for act of omission or commission on the part of her father-in-law. Secondly, during investigation into the FIR, the investigating agency has found respondent No.4 not to be CWP No.18264 of 2010 -2- guilty. Counsel for the petitioner has stated that this statement is not correct. Be that as it may, mere registration of an FIR will not eclipse the rights of any office holder of gram Panchayat until charges are framed by the competent court of law. Hence, no interference is called for. The present writ petition is dismissed. [Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia] October 12, 2010. Judge kadyan