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Assets case: Punjab’s ex-dy CM OP Soni sent to 2-day VB custody
A local court on Monday sent Congress leader and former Punjab deputy chief minister OP Soni to two-day vigilance custody in the disproportionate assets (DA) case
AMRITSAR : A local court on Monday sent Congress leader and former Punjab deputy chief minister OP Soni to two-day vigilance custody in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.
The senior Congress leader was in a hospital since he was arrested from Chandigarh on July 9.
On Monday, Soni was brought to a local court in Amritsar in an ambulance. “Soni was presented in the court afer doctors declared him fit,” said senior superintendent of police (SSP-vigilance), Amritsar, Varinder Singh Sandhu.
Soni was arrested on July 9 from Chandigarh and was presented in the court on July 10. The court granted his two-day remand to the VB but he was hospitalised due to high blood pressure and heart-related problems, he said.
On July 12, Soni was presented in the local court from the hospital through a video-conferencing and he was given a day’s relief due to his medical condition.
On July 13, the case was again heard in the court and Soni was presented through the video-conferencing. Citing the report of a medical board, the court sent Soni to judicial custody till July 20.
The court had also noted that during the period of judicial custody, Soni shall be allowed to continue to get treatment.
The VB registered a case under Sections 13 (1) (b) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act against Soni on July 9 alleging that he had amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during 2016 to 2022.
Soni and his family had an income of ₹4.52 crore while their expenditure was ₹12.48 crore, which was 176% ( ₹7.96 crore) more than his known sources of income. He had amassed properties in the name of his wife Suman Soni and son Raghav Soni, the VB added.
