E-Paper
Food grain transportation scam: 3-days remand for PA to former minister Ashu
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Sumit Makkar remanded Pankaj Meenu Malhotra, personal assistant to former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu for three days in the Vigilance Bureau custody for questioning on Saturday in ₹2,000 crore food grain transportation scam.
The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Sumit Makkar remanded Pankaj Meenu Malhotra, personal assistant to former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu for three days in the Vigilance Bureau custody for questioning on Saturday in ₹2,000 crore food grain transportation scam. The vigilance bureau produced the accused before the court on Saturday.
Pankaj Malhotra, who was absconding in the multi-crore transportation tender scam in the grain markets of the state, had surrendered before the vigilance bureau on Friday.
The vigilance bureau demanded five days police remand of the accused. However, the court sent the accused to three days remand.
The vigilance bureau officials stated that during the probe and material evidence, it has come to light that accused Meenu Malhotra was working as PA with Bharat Bhushan Ashu and had received bribe money of ₹ 6 lakh from accused contractor Telu Ram in order to arrange his meeting with the former minister for allotment of tenders for labour and transportation works for the year 2020-21 in the grain markets. He added that further investigation of this case was under progress.
On August 16, the vigilance bureau had registered a case under Sections 420, 409, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of Indian Penal Code and 7, 8, 12, 13(2) of prevention of corruption act against contractor Telu Ram, Jagroop Singh, Sandeep Bhatia and partners of Gurdas Ram & company as well as officers, officials of Punjab food and civil supply department besides respective officials, employees of the concerned procurement agencies for allocation of labour and transportation tenders in various grain markets.
