Punjab Vigilance Bureau awaits nod to prosecute 5 ex-ministers

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau is awaiting the nod to prosecute the five former Congress Ministers arrested in various scandals and acts of corruption.

The files for the prosecution of former deputy chief minister OP Soni, former ministers Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Sangat Singh Gilzian and Sunder Sham Arora are pending with either the governor or the government for one reason or another.

VB official, who did not wish to be named, said that they have already submitted the chargesheets in court and once the nod from the governor is awarded, the trial will commence.

Former minister Dharamsot, a senior leader of the Congress party, is charged with alleged embezzlement of funds intended for scholarship of Scheduled Castes students and is also facing another FIR for corruption in the forest department, besides a disproportionate assets case.

Former minister Gilzian is facing charges of irregularities in alleged tree felling and purchase of tree guards, while former deputy chief minister Soni is facing a disproportionate assets case.

Bharat Bhushan Ashu, another former minister, is facing two FIRs for his alleged involvement in the transportation of foodgrains, which VB claims is an act of corruption. Besides that, he is also facing another FIR for irregularities in the issuing of tenders.

Lastly, Sunder Sham Arora, a former minister, is facing action for his alleged role in the bifurcation of industrial plots. The VB charges include claims of manipulating the allotment process to benefit certain businesses in exchange for bribes.

“The vigilance bureau has gathered substantial evidence in these cases, but their ability to move forward with the case now is contingent on receiving formal sanction from the Punjab governor, who is the competent authority in this case to provide sanction”, said a VB official who didn’t wish to be named.

The Punjab government has provided the sanction under 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to investigate these former ministers, but for the prosecution, it is mandatory to have sanction from the appointing authority, which in the case of ministers is the governor.

“The file of Dharamsot and Arora, after the initial spadework, has been forwarded to the Punjab governor, and hopefully, the decision will come in the next few days. The remaining files are in process and will be submitted to the governor soon”, an official at the chief minister’s office said, pleading anonymity.

In the case of MLAs where the vidhan Sabha speaker is the sanctioning authority, the government has already provided the nod to prosecute sitting MLA Amit Rattan and former MLAs Kushaldeep Dhillon and Satkar Kaur.