The Punjab government, run jointly the Akali Dal and the BJP, has to explain in court why it gifted a crore of taxpayer' money to an elite boarding school in a different state. The Punjab and Haryana High Court wants a response on November 2. Until then the Lawrence School in Himachal Pradesh will not be able encash the cheque.
The donation was announced last week by Punjab' Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, to his alma mater.
The one-crore gift was made from a development fund. Opposition parties threatened to take the government to court and former Congress MLA SS Khaira filed a public Interest Litigation (PIL) in this matter.
When asked why his state was funding a school elsewhere, Mr Badal had retorted, "Is Himachal Pradesh not a part of India?"