FSL director gets show-cause notice

Govt seeks recall of HC order, says official not competent authority to make statements on budget constraints

- Surender Sharma

CHANDIGARH: The officer whose statement about fund crunch coming in way of upgrade of forensic labs prompted the Punjab and Haryana high court to seek details of government spending on advertisements has been issued a show-cause notice by the Punjab government.

Home secretary Gurkirat Kirpal Singh has also filed an application before the high court pleading that the January 21 order seeking advertisement spending details be recalled/modified.

On January 21, the high court had asked the chief secretary to furnish a detail of expenses met out between April 1, 2024, to January 20, 2025, on the publication of the advertisements on the performance and achievements of the government and the new vehicles purchased for the police officials. Details were sought during proceedings of a bail matter in which it had come to light that forensic report about the CCTV footage is pending and is to be procured from Central Forensic Laboratory, Chandigarh, as no forensic lab in Punjab has infrastructure to examine the veracity of CCTV footage or clips.