The Punjab Government has set aside the suspension orders issued against the woman sarpanch and the entire gram panchayat of Lang village in Patiala district and directed that a fresh inquiry be conducted within three weeks.
The decision was taken by Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayats Department, Ajit Balaji Joshi, who allowed an appeal filed by the suspended panchayat members and remanded the matter back to the Director, Rural Development and Panchayats, for a fair and independent investigation.
The Directorate of Rural Development and Panchayats had, on April 29, suspended the village sarpanch and the seven-member gram panchayat following allegations of irregularities, including illegal excavation and sale of soil from village ponds and alleged misuse of development funds. The authorities had also frozen the panchayat’s bank accounts and initiated scrutiny of records related to the tenure of the elected representatives. The suspended members, led by Sarpanch Jaswinder Kaur, challenged the action before the Principal Secretary.
