The observations were made by the Division Bench during the ongoing hearing of the Kansal land grab case. The case pertains to alleged grabbing of land located in Kansal by politicians, bureaucrats and senior police officers.

During the course of the hearing, the Chief Justice remarked: “It is very surprising to see that the land is in the possession of only IAS and IPS officers. The sellers didn’t find anybody else to sell the land to? It is very painful that these officers use their clout and authority to purchase land in connivance with the tehsildars.”

Though the Punjab Law Officer advocate Amol Rattan Singh submitted that the police officers had declared their assets before purchasing the land, the Bench remarked: “We know what happens very well. We do not come from another planet.”

Advocate Singh argued that the petition has been filed on the basis of a general impression that ‘since a police officer has purchased land, it must be through illegal means’. Conceding to the law officer’s point, the Chief Justice said: “But there is grain of truth in it as well. The problem simply cannot be ignored.”

But the Bench clarified that the court cannot pass orders on basis of a hunch or suspicion. “We work under certain legal limitations. There needs to be a concrete basis on which to pass orders,” the Bench stated.

On the other hand, the Bench also questioned the petitioner— NGO Lawyers for Human Rights International — on the motive behind filing the PIL. “Who are you to argue? The one whose land has been grabbed should approach the court. What is your need to rake up the issue?” asked the Bench.

Responding to the query, counsel for the petitioner, advocate Navkiran Singh stated that the clout of police officers and bureaucrats is such that poor land-owners are scared to approach the court.

The Bench chastised the petitioner for attempting to take a ‘short cut’. “If you have evidence, go and file a civil suit, produce the evidence,” the Bench remarked.