Pritam Pal

Pritam Pal is former Lokayukta, an anti-corruption ombudsman organization in the Indian State of Haryana, India. After serving as Lokayukta he retired from services on 18 January 2016. He was born on 3 June 1947 in the village Kandroli in the District Yamuna Nagar, Haryana. With his 5 year tenure as Lokayukta, he has recently shown his immense displeasure over lack of political will amongst the Politicians to make the institution of Lokayukta strong.^[1]

Education

• Graduated from Punjab University, Chandigarh in 1969.
• Completed LL.B. in July, 1972 from Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra.

Law career

Pritam Pal practiced as a lawyer for 14 years at Ghohrudhe District Courts of Karnal and Kurukshetra. This period of legal practice was mainly devoted to the social service, Arya Samaj, and for improving the educational facilities in the area.

Judge in Haryana Superior Judicial Service

In March 1986 he was selected as a member to the Judiciary. Later he joined as Additional District and Sessions Judge.

Postings as District and Sessions Judge

Districts Gurgaon, Rohtak, Ambala, Yamuna Nagar, Hisar, Mohindergarh at Narnaul, Bhiwani and Faridabad. January 2002 to November 2004: Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

High Court Judge

November 2004: Elevated as Permanent Judge to Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chandigarh. During tenure he presided over approximately 6900 cases.^[2] June 2009: Retired after attaining age of superannuation.

Justice Pritam Pal sitting in his chamber in Punjab and Haryana High Court

President, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh

Appointed and worked as such till 17 January 2011.

Justice Pritam Pal accepting wishes of Bar on his last day as President of SCDRC,Chandigarh

Lokayukta Haryana (INDIA)

• He was appointed to the post of Lokayukta (Ombudsman) Haryana and was administered oath on 18 January 2011^[3] and retired as such from the post on 18 January 2016.

Justice Pritam Pal after taking oath as Lokayukta, Haryana

• He has submitted annual reports over national and regional institutions and their workings and has given various recommendations to improve their efficiency and also submitted reports for eradication of corruption in the State.^[4] He made headlines in 2014 when he recommended various measures to improve the institutions.^[5] The Government of Haryana has acted on those and has instituted a committee to further investigate the conclusions of his report and recommend necessary improvements. He is a frequent visitor of local communities and holds Lokayukta Court at various places in Haryana so that people do not need to visit Chandigarh where the office of Lokayukta is located.He has made enormous efforts to sensitize the institution of Lokayukta in Haryana. In an interview he showed his helplessness to take adequate action against the officials, that corrupt the system due to his limited powers.^[6] He has recently recommended an investigation into land scam affair in Panipat.^[7] Authorities however have been reluctant at times to comply with the orders passed.^[8] Government has sought explanation from senior bureaucrats in MNRGEGS Scam on his recommendation recently.^[9][10] He has recently directed Chief Secretary Haryana to file a detailed action report regarding action taken against four I.A.S. Officers and one H.C.S. Officer for MNREGS Scam in Ambala District of Haryana

Major cases handled

• Recommended registration of FIR against Ram Kishan Fauji, the then CPS on allegations of corruption in cash for CLU scam of Haryana wherein two young men were seen doing stings of various MLAs of Haryana.^[11]
• Recommended an investigation into five more sitting MLAs of Haryana, in the Cash for CLU Scam.
• Constituted a high power Special Investigation Team, which unearthed tax evasion of around Rs. 11000 Crores which is one of the biggest scams of Haryana.^[12] He is likely to recommend criminal action against guilty in the scam.^[13]
• MNRGES Scam in Ambala District of Haryana
• Has presided over nearly 1800 cases to date, despite having a shortage of staff.
• Recently alleged reality fraud done by former Sohna MLA has come into his scanner^[14]

Indian Justice Front

Justice Pritam Pal is going to launch a non-political, but social outfit under the name of “Indian Justice front”. Aim of this front would be to fight prevailing corruption, injustice with any individual or any section of society, drug abuse, female foeticide, character building, promote education, and work against various other prevailing social evils weakening the social set up.

Membership for this organisation would be launched from coming October 2 the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri who always stood for truth and righteousness and worked for the upliftment of society without any fear and self interest and eked out a place for them in the hearts of people the world over.^[15]

Languages

He is fluent in English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, and Punjabi.

Writer

Pritam Pal has written three books in three different languages. Firstly "Power of Thought" in English and "Vichar Shakti ka Chamatkar" in Hindi. He has written another book "Mukti Prapti ki Vidhi" in Sanskrit.

Religious person and social worker

He is a strict disciple of Arya Samaj and has made a Yagyashala in Yamuna Nagar district where regular Hawan are held and other social activities are taking place. He is one of the top preachers of Arya Samaj in Haryana and is known to be a man of character and principles. Monthly camps are held in Yagyashala for Character Building wherein he is generally present to help and guides poor and downtrodden persons. He was in the news when he donated antique articles to the Kurukshetra University which are now kept in a cultural museum.^[16]

Justice Pritam Pal with Sh. Anna Hazare

Justice Pritam Pal in Kurukshetra Jail

Ideology

For him value of life is the greatest asset of mankind. He lays much emphasis on the character of a person which according to him is the reason and source for our happiness and sorrow. He gives regular speeches to visitors to his Yagyashala and also at the places he visits. His major quotes are shared below:

• God's biggest gift to us is our human body. It is like a boat, which takes us across the ocean of Sansara (world). You must think that God has chosen you to perform good deeds.^[17]
• Always remember, "Everything is within you". Wherever you go, you take with yourself either a happy or a dull heart, and accordingly you will create either a heaven or hell for yourself.^[18]

References