E-Paper
DA probe: Punjab vigilance grills Capt Amarinder’s aide BIS Chahal for 8 hours
After taking relief from Punjab and Haryana HC, former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s political advisor Bharat Inder Singh Chahal on Thursday appeared before the vigilance bureau in the disproportionate assets case.
After taking relief from Punjab and Haryana high court, former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s political advisor Bharat Inder Singh Chahal on Thursday appeared before the vigilance bureau in the disproportionate assets case.
Chahal has evaded VB for more than six months on the pretext of health issues.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) is probing Chahal, who is accused of acquiring properties disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Chahal reached the SSP VB Patiala office from where he was directed to meet DSP Satpal Sharma, who is investigating the case. VB grilled Chahal for close to eight hours and asked him to come with the relevant record of his income and expenditure, assets sold and acquired, and foreign tours by family. He was asked to come again on June 30 for further investigation.
Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) had asked Chahal to appear before a probe team of the vigilance bureau within two weeks.
The court acted on the plea from Chahal, seeking anticipatory bail in which he had argued that an inquiry with regards to two properties have been opened by the bureau and his apprehensions were that in the garb of this, he would be arrested.
The HC has issued notice on his plea for July 19 and sought a status report on the prober by vigilance. “The inquiry shall be concluded in accordance with the law at the earliest. If the inquiry is concluded by the adjourned date, a copy thereof, be produced before this court. In the meanwhile, it is directed that the inquiry report (if any) finalised, not be given effect till the next date of hearing,” the court said.
The VB had in December last year issued a lookout circular (LOC) against Chahal. The vigilance has already visited Chahal’s Alcazar marriage palace on Patiala-Sirhind Road in January to ascertain the value of the property. The probe agency had taken measurements of a shopping complex, owned by Chahal on Nabha Road near the mini-secretariat.
Chahal was advisor to the CM with cabinet rank from 2017 to 2021. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party along with Amarinder in July last year.
In 2007, Chahal was booked for corruption during the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP rule and faced a probe by the vigilance bureau. In 2016, he was acquitted in the case as all 77 government witnesses turned hostile.
