After chopper trouble, Haryana CM Khattar moves HC to spend night at Jind

Khattar proposed to travel back to Chandigarh via road, intending to make a halt at Narwana falling midway between Mandi Dabwali and Chandigarh, but the district election officer-cum-deputy commissioner, Jind said the CM could not halt at any place, including a private place in Narwana, citing provisions of model code of conduct.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. (Express file photo)

A piquant situation arose Friday evening, when Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had to knock the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s doors to spend the night in Jind after a private helicopter that he took to the district for addressing a rally in Sirsa couldn’t take off for Chandigarh because of the inclement weather.

Friday was the last day of campaigning for the May 12 Lok Sabha polls. The model code of conduct mandates that once the campaigning comes to an end at 6 pm, political functionaries who have come from outside the constituency should return immediately. Khattar was to fly back from Sirsa to Chandigarh in a helicopter. However, because of inclement weather, the chopper could not take off.

Khattar proposed to travel back to Chandigarh via road, intending to make a halt at Narwana falling midway between Mandi Dabwali and Chandigarh, but the district election officer-cum-deputy commissioner, Jind said the CM could not halt at any place, including a private place in Narwana, citing provisions of model code of conduct.

Following this, Rajneesh Garg, ADC to CM, through Advocate Deepak Balyan moved Punjab and Haryana High Court in the evening, seeking directions to the EC to allow Khattar to take a halt in Jind district. Allowing CM to stay in Jind, the bench in its order said that it was a fit case where “law does not enforce impossibilities”.