The Hindu : Ex-Akali Minister booked in corruption case

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2002

Other States

Other States - Punjab

Ex-Akali Minister booked in corruption case

CHANDIGARH DEC. 17. In its continuing drive against corruption, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has booked yet another former Akali Minister for allegedly misappropriating Government funds and land worth Rs 1.75 crores during his tenure in the previous Badal Government.

A Bureau spokesman today said the former Revenue Minister, Sewa Singh Sekhwan, was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988, and a case of cheating, forgery and graft was registered at the Bureau's police station in Jalandhar yesterday.

The former Minister has been charged with misappropriating about two acres of panchayat land worth Rs 50 lakhs in his native Sekhwan village in the border district of Gurdaspur.

He is also accused of using Government funds worth Rs 1.25 crores to construct a hospital by a trust set up in the name of his father Ujagar Singh Sekhwan. The ex-Minister's wife is the chairperson of the Jathedar Ujagar Singh Memorial Trust which runs the hospital, the spokesman said.

He said Sekhwan could not be arrested earlier because of the High Court directive that he be given an eight-day notice, adding that the notice had been served.

Sekhwan is the sixth former Akali Minister to be booked by the Vigilance Commission after the Amarinder Singh Government launched a drive against corruption in Punjab.

Of the remaining Ministers booked so far, Tota Singh and Sucha Singh Langah are out on bail while Ajit Singh Kohar, Jagdish Singh Garcha and Gurdev Singh Badal are in jail. Mr Parkash Singh Badal, former Chief Minister, was denied bail by a Ludhiana court yesterday.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States

Stories in this Section

Ex-Akali Minister booked in corruption case