Former Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) chairman Ravinderpal Singh Sidhu on Monday approached the Punjab and Haryana high court against his conviction in the 2002 cash-for-job scam. A Patiala court had awarded seven-year imprisonment and imposed Rs 1-crore fine on him on April 7. Three others were also held guilty in the scam.
Taking up the case, the single-judge bench of justice Fateh Deep Singh admitted Sidhu’s plea for regular hearing and also issued a notice to the Punjab government on one of the contentions of seeking a stay on imposition of the Rs 1-crore fine. The case will come up for hearing as per its turn.
The court had jailed Sidhu under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 465 and 471 (both related to forgery) of the IPC and section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Former PPSC secretary Prithpal Singh has challenged the four-year imprisonment awarded to him in this case. The scam was busted by the Punjab vigilance bureau in 2002. The VB had accused Sidhu of accepting bribe for recruitments through the PPSC between 1995 and 2002.
The court had held in its order that candidates who paid bribe were being selected and merit was being ignored. Question papers were given in advance to candidates who had paid money and their marks were enhanced.
{{/usCountry}}The court had held in its order that candidates who paid bribe were being selected and merit was being ignored. Question papers were given in advance to candidates who had paid money and their marks were enhanced.
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