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Punjab ex-deputy CM OP Soni’s bail plea rejected in DA case
Amritsar court order cites serious nature of allegations against him and the possibility of his trying to tamper with evidence or win over witnesses
An Amritsar court has rejected the bail application of former deputy chief minister Om Parkash Soni in a disproportionate assets case registered against him in July.
Soni, who is lodged in Amritsar Central Jail, was arrested from Chandigarh by the Vigilance Bureau’s Amritsar-range team on July 10 for amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income following an eight-month probe.
“In the present case, it cannot be said that the accusations against the accused are prima-facie wholly false, frivolous or vexatious in nature, so as to justify grant of bail. No doubt, the investigation is complete as the challan has been presented but there are serious allegations against the accused. Material witnesses are yet to be examined,” reads the order of Randhir Verma, additional sessions judge, fast track court, Amritsar.
The order was issued on Thursday.
“The possibility cannot be ruled out that the accused might try to tamper with evidence or try to win over witnesses to weaken the case of the prosecution. This shall not be conducive to the interest of justice to grant bail as it is likely to hamper investigation. Accordingly, the bail application is dismissed,” it reads.
After Soni’s arrest on July 10, a court granted his two-day remand to the VB. However, he was admitted to a private hospital as he complained of uneasiness with his heartbeat and blood pressure shooting up. He was discharged from hospital on July 17 and was remanded in two-day VB custody.
The complaint against him was lodged with the VB in October last year. He was booked under Sections 13 (1) (b) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The VB analysed his sources of income and expenditure from April 2016 to March 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 said.
