The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday stayed the arrest of former forest minister Sangat Singh Gilzian in an FIR registered by the Punjab vigilance bureau against him on the allegations of corruption.
The high court bench of justice Lisa Gill acted on his plea seeking anticipatory bail. While asking for a response by July 25, the high court has told the Punjab vigilance bureau to file a “specific report”.
The FIR in question was registered on June 6 by the Punjab vigilance bureau under the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy. His predecessor in the previous Congress regime, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, was also arrested in the case. Gilzian was appointed forest minister in the Congress government on September 26, 2021, and he lost the February 2022 assembly polls.
He has been accused of organised corruption pertaining to the issuance of permits for cutting of khair trees, transfer of officials, purchases, and issuance of NOCs, etc.
Gilzian, in his plea, claimed that the FIR was an act of “political vendetta” because of a change in the government. He claims there is a clear violation of Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. He further submitted that he had nothing to do with Kulwinder Singh, to whom some amount is stated to have been handed over by the contractor and is accused in the June 6 criminal case. He also claimed that the prosecution is itself unsure about the number of tree guards purchased and different figures are being thrown into the public domain. He further submitted that he was not involved in any other criminal case and further undertook that he would join the investigation and cooperate with the investigating agency. He also submitted that there was no question of him absconding or not facing proceedings.
{{/usCountry}}Gilzian, in his plea, claimed that the FIR was an act of “political vendetta” because of a change in the government. He claims there is a clear violation of Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. He further submitted that he had nothing to do with Kulwinder Singh, to whom some amount is stated to have been handed over by the contractor and is accused in the June 6 criminal case. He also claimed that the prosecution is itself unsure about the number of tree guards purchased and different figures are being thrown into the public domain. He further submitted that he was not involved in any other criminal case and further undertook that he would join the investigation and cooperate with the investigating agency. He also submitted that there was no question of him absconding or not facing proceedings.
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