LUDHIANA: Produced before the court for the fourth time, former Congress cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu was sent to 14 days judicial custody by the chief judicial magistrate Sumit Makkar on Wednesday.
Ashu, former food, civil supplies & consumer affairs minister, was arrested by Ludhiana vigilance bureau on August 22 from a salon, in an alleged transportation tender scam.
The vigilance bureau on Wednesday produced Ashu in the court to get his remand extended, however the CJM did not listen to the appeal and sent Ashu into judicial custody.
The vigilance bureau had arrested a contractor Telu Ram, who allegedly got the transportation tender fraudulently, initially in the case.
During the questioning, Telu Ram confessed before the vigilance bureau that the deputy director Food, civil supplies RK Singla and Ashu's PA Pankaj Meenu Malhotra had taken bribes from him on the behalf of Ashu.
Thereafter, the bureau nominated RK Singla and Ashu, followed by Ashu's PA Malhotra and Inderjit Singh Indi also in the case.
According to the vigilance sources, in custody Ashu did not cooperate following which the bureau summoned his close aides mayor Balkar Singh Sandhu, Congress councilor Sunny Bhalla and investor Hemant Sood.
