Advt spending details: HC dismisses Punjab's plea seeking recall of order

GIVES FOUR WEEKS TO CHIEF SECY TO COLLECT INFO AND SUBMIT IT 3 DAYS PRIOR TO MARCH 11 HEARING

- Surender Sharma

CHANDIGARH: The high court has dismissed a plea by the Punjab government seeking recall of the order that directed the state to give details of government spending on advertisements.

The high court bench of justice Sandeep Moudgil, however, gave a four-week time to the chief secretary to collect the information and submit it three days prior to March 11 hearing.

On January 21, the high court had asked the chief secretary to furnish a detail of expenses met out between April 1, 2024 and January 20, 2025, on the publication of advertisements on performance and achievements of the government and new vehicles purchased for 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 genuineness and veracity of the CCTV footage or clips.