Chandigarh: Former Congress Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot has been remanded to police custody for three days in a disproportionate assets (DA) case. After the remand of Dharamsot, there is now speculation that many other former ministers are also on the radar of the state government and action may be taken against them.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau asked 7-days remand of the former minister but the court limited it to three days. The court also asked Dharamsot to account for expenses of Rs 6.39 crores that he made in excess of his known sources of income between 2016 and 2022. The former Congress minister had allegedly bought plots in many places. DSP Navdeep Singh, Vigilance, is monitoring the entire matter.
Amid this, the opposition parties are questioning the Punjab AAP government over a criminal case going on against newly inducted minister Balbir Singh. He was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment by the Ropar court and he is out on bail. The opposition says this goes contrary to the claim that the AAP is an honest party and there is no place for tainted people in it. In just nine months, corruption charges came up against two ministers and a criminal case against the third one, opposition says.
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Congress MLA from Bhulath Sukhpal Singh Khaira had tweeted that CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal could not find a single minister out of 18 who has a clean conscience.
A serious criminal case is going on against another cabinet minister of Punjab, Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal. A criminal case under section 307 (intent to murder) is also going on against AAP MLA Daljit Singh Grewal from Ludhiana East. Sheetal Angural, AAP MLA from Jalandhar West, has the highest number of cases.
Meanwhile, five cases are pending against Chamkaur Sahib MLA Charanjit Singh. There is a case of molestation of women against AAP MLA Manjinder Singh Lalpura from Khadur Sahib. The name of Inderjit Kaur Mann from Nakodar seat is involved in the alleged illegal mining case. In his election declaration, it was informed that a case was registered under the Mines and Minerals Act in the police station through Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.
AAP leader Gurmeet Khudian, who defeated Akali leader Parkash Singh Badal from Lambi, is facing a case under the Arms Act. According to the Election Commission of India, there are 58 such candidates in the 117 constituencies of Punjab in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Elections 2022 against whom criminal cases are registered.
A case was also registered against Punjab CM Mann when he was a Member of Parliament. In fact, when the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was playing the role of the opposition in Punjab, they started the electricity movement in 2020. They tried to surround the residence of the then Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. There, they clashed with the police. Cases were registered against 35 AAP leaders including Bhagwant Mann.
According to the affidavits given to the Election Commission, there is one case each against Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal, Minister Inderbir Nijhar, Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, Minister Harpal Cheema, five against Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, four against Deputy Speaker of Punjab Vidhan Sabha Jai Krishan Singh Rory among others.
