India much better than Pakistan: Badal

BJP ally Badal worth Rs 4,326 crore

Vigilance cracks down on Badal

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2003 02:52:59 AM ]
 
CHANDIGARH : The Vigilance Bureau finally struck on Saturday. It filed
a challan against former chief minister, Parkash Singh Badal, in the
district sessions court, Ropar, for accumulating disproportionate
assets worth Rs 78.39 crore during his five-year tenure as chief
minister from 1997-2002.

The challan named Badal's wife, Surinder Kaur, his son, Sukhbir Badal,
his cousin Narottam Dhillon, the family's manager Harbans Lal and an
associate Jagnandan Singh as co-accused in the case.

The challan, which was filed by the investigating officer SP Singh,
pegged Badal's total estimated properties at Rs 4,326 crore, of which
Rs 501 crore worth properties are stated to be within the country.

VB chief director AP Pandey told newsmen that in the course of
investigation four persons, KS Sidhu, Hardeep Singh, Pinky Grover and
Kewal Krishan were declared proclaimed offendors while a process was
underway to declare three others, Ashim Kapur, Anil Kumar and Bhagwan
Das, as POs as well.

Pandey said the investigation of the overseas properties owned by the
Badal family would continue and a supplementary challan would be filed
later.

He said the VB team would carry on with its investigation of other
aspects of the FIR registered against Badal including the alleged
misuse of authority in posting and transfer of public servants, misuse
of power in making appointments in the government service and
acceptance of illegal gratification in contracts for government works.

Pandey said the VB investigations had found some evidence of Badal's
involvement in the PPSC scam as well. The VB had registered the FIR
against Badal and his family members in June this year following a
complaint by a Mansa district resident Balwant Singh.

Pandey said during his tenure as chief minister Badal and his family
claimed to have invested Rs 54.98 crore, whereas the VB investigations
found that their investments totalled close to Rs 132.29 crore, thus
making a case for disproportionate assets worth Rs 78.39 crore against
the former chief minister and family members.

Commenting on the leakage of the challan, Pandey admitted that Badal
was able to lay his hands on the papers and added that he did have the
capacity to hamper the investigations. Pandey did not rule out the
possible arrest of Sukhbir Badal for custodial interrogation.