E-Paper
Irrigation scam: KBS Sidhu seeks more time, additional documents from VB
Retired former additional chief secretary Punjab, KBS Sidhu on Tuesday sought more time and clarifications for his appearance before the Vigilance Bureau in a multi-crore irrigation scam and also claimed that he got the summons through WhatsApp on Monday evening.
Retired former additional chief secretary Punjab, KBS Sidhu on Tuesday sought more time and clarifications for his appearance before the Vigilance Bureau in a multi-crore irrigation scam and also claimed that he got the summons through WhatsApp on Monday evening.
According to a reply filed by Sidhu to the VB, which was shared with the media as well, summons dated December 7 were received through WhatsApp, at around 9 pm on December 12 calling upon him to appear before the inquiry officer to join the inquiry.
“The said summon has not been served upon me at my notified address, to date. Therefore, you may kindly appreciate that I am not in a position to appear before your good self today at 10 am at such short notice of merely a few hours,” Sidhu said in his reply to the VB.
The retired IAS also requested VB to accommodate his request for deferring his appearance for a few days.
“I also request that, in future, any such summon requiring my presence may please be served upon me well in time so that I may have reasonable time to make arrangements to appear before you,” the retired IAS further said.
Referring to the relief he had gotten from the Punjab and Haryana high court, in this case, the ex-IAS also pointed out that proceedings initiated against him are the subject matter of the challenge he had filed in this case before the high court.
“VB is aware that vide its interim order dated November 15, passed in this petition, the hon’ble high court was pleased to issue some directions and also make some observations and was also pleased to grant me certain interim reliefs,” he said.
The ex-IAS said, “It is deemed necessary to point out that the summon is liable to first satisfy the requirements of Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, since the requisite ‘prior approval’ to conduct any such inquiry is mandatorily required by the VB before proceeding further”.
Referring to the submission by the VB in the high court in his case regarding permission of inquiry under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act by the ‘competent authority of the Punjab government, the officer said, “It may be relevant to note that it was the categoric stand of the VB before the hon’ble high court that the said order was ‘erroneous’ and that VB shall be seeking a fresh or a ‘rectified’ order”.
Sidhu requested the VB to kindly confirm if any such fresh or ‘rectified’ order has been obtained by the VB in connection with the aforesaid inquiry sought to be initiated.
“If yes, I request VB to share a copy of any such fresh or ‘rectified’ order so that the current situation may be assessed in terms of the observations made by the hon’ble high court in its order November 15,” he said.
Sidhu, former chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, and retired IAS KS Pannu are the three officers whose role is under scanner in the alleged scam involving contractor Gurinder Singh during the SAD-BJP regime in Punjab. Former irrigation ministers and SAD leaders Sharanjit Dhillon and Janmeja Singh Sekhon are also under VB scanner in the probe.
On September 17, a lookout circular was issued against three retired IAS whose names have appeared in the case and the two Akali ministers.
