CHANDIGARH: The Punjab vigilance bureau on Monday arrested former forest minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot for amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
The former minister would be produced before the Mohali court on Tuesday.
Dharamsot has been arrested following investigations of a vigilance enquiry. An FIR under sections 13(1)(b), 13(2) of The Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against him at vigilance bureau range police station at Mohali in disproportionate assets case.
It came to fore during the vigilance probe that during the check period from March 1, 2016 to March 31, 2022, Dharamsot and his family’s income was Rs 2,37,12,596 while the expenditure was Rs 8,76,30,888. His expenditure was Rs 6,39,18,292 or 269% more than his known sources of income.
The vigilance bureau probe is in progress to ascertain more assets of the former minister. The vigilance bureau had earlier arrested Dharamsot on June 7 last year with his two aides for their involvement in "organized corruption" regarding issuance of permits for cutting of Khair trees, transfer of government officials, purchases, and issuance of no objection certificates. He was later granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court on September 5 last year.
Dharamsot was close to former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh who was dropped from the Charanjit Singh Channi cabinet.
