Vigilance bureau gets one-day custody of ex-minister Sunder Sham Arora

Notably, Arora was already in Ropar jail in a corruption case registered in October. Seeking a one-day remand, vigilance claimed that Arora had written a letter to co-accused IAS officer Neelima, which is important for the case

A local Mohali court on Thursday sent former industries minister Sunder Sham Arora, who was nominated in an FIR registered by the vigilance bureau against him and 10 government officers, including an IAS, on January 5, to one-day vigilance custody.

Former minister Sunder Sham Arora on Tuesday had withdrawn his anticipatory bail plea from the Punjab and Haryana high court after the court questioned why he had approached the high court directly (Representational image)

After the high court denied anticipatory bail to Arora, who was brought from Ropar jail on a production warrant, the vigilance bureau also made a formal arrest of the minister in the latest case registered on January 5.

Notably, Arora was already in Ropar jail in a corruption case registered in October. Seeking a one-day remand, vigilance claimed that Arora had written a letter to co-accused IAS officer Neelima, which is important for the case.

HS Saini and Jatin Arora, counsels for the former minister, claimed that VB should have produced the letter in question before the court. “Even if there is any letter forwarded by the former minister to an officer, there is nothing illegal in it,” said Jatin Arora.

Sunder Sham Arora on Tuesday had withdrawn his anticipatory bail plea from the Punjab and Haryana high court after the court questioned why he had approached the high court directly. The court allowed the withdrawal of the plea with the liberty to approach the trial court.

FIR was registered following allegations of illegal transfer and bifurcation of an industrial plot to a real estate company and allowing it to establish a township in the Phase-9 industrial area, Mohali.

Arora was arrested on October 16 and was lodged in Ropar Jail in a bribery case. Vigilance bureau had allegedly caught Arora red-handed from Zirakpur and recovered ₹50 lakh which he had allegedly brought as a bribe to Manmohan Kumar, assistant inspector general, VB, flying squad, Punjab, to settle a graft case.

The fresh case registered on January 5 is under section 13 (1) (a), 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy at the vigilance bureau police station, Mohali.

During the VB probe till now, it has been found that if this plot was to be sold as per the rules, the government would have got an income of ₹600 to ₹700 crore.