CHANDIGARH: Punjab Government has expressed glory over the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday upheld the legality of emergency action taken by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) against a hotel owned by the Chopra Group, which also owns the Punjab Kesari media group.
An official spokesman claimed that the Division Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry dismissed the writ petition filed by Punjab Kesari Group's The Hind Samachar Limited and another petitioner, holding that the action taken by the Punjab Pollution Control Board, including closure of the hotel and disconnection of electricity supply, was fully backed by law and justified under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
The spokesman said that the Court’s ruling effectively endorses the Punjab Government’s stand that environmental laws apply uniformly, irrespective of the stature or influence of the entity involved. The petitioner hotel, situated in Civil Lines, Jalandhar, is part of the Chopra Group’s commercial establishments and is linked to the promoters of Punjab Kesari and Hind Samachar newspapers.
The government statement said that during the hearing, the High Court recorded that a detailed inspection conducted on January 13, 2026, revealed extensive and serious violations at the hotel premises. These included non-functional sewage and effluent treatment plants, deliberate bypassing of untreated wastewater into the municipal sewer, lack of authorisation under hazardous waste rules, absence of statutory approvals from the Municipal Corporation, improper handling of hazardous and solid waste, and failure to comply with consent conditions mandated under the Water Act.