Graft case: Punjab assembly speaker gets interim bail

CHANDIGARH - Punjab Assembly Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon was granted interim bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court here Monday, a day before he and 14 others were to appear before a trial court in Patiala town in a corruption case.

The high court directed Kahlon to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court in Patiala town, 70 km from here, Tuesday morning.

The court said that if Kahlon has to be arrested by the CBI, he should be granted bail by the CBI court immediately.

The CBI in July filed a chargesheet in the trial court against Kahlon on charges of corruption, cheating, forgery and abuse of official position in the recruitment of 909 panchayat secretaries between 1997-2002.

Kahlon was Punjab’s rural development and panchayats minister when the recruitment of panchayat secretaries took place. He has been booked by the CBI, along with 14 other officers, for irregularities and corruption in the recruitment process.

The high court has fixed the next date of hearing Aug 26.

Kahlon, who is a senior leader of the ruling Akali Dal, appealed to the trial court for anticipatory bail after he was summoned to appear before it Aug 17 (Tuesday). The court rejected the plea.

Those booked with him included the then financial commissioner-cum-principal secretary J.S. Kesar and the then rural development director Mandeep Singh.

Both Kesar and Mandeep Singh are senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in Punjab. Kesar retired some time back.

All 15 people, including Kahlon, have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI chargesheet against Kahlon and others caused embarrassment to the state’s Akali Dal government led by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

According to a CBI spokesman, the case was registered in June 2003 against Kahlon.

The complaint was filed first by the then director, rural development and panchayats, in 2003. The matter was later transferred to the CBI for investigation.

The CBI spokesman said that investigations revealed that large sums of money changed hands during the selection process.

Though the director, rural development and panchayats, was the appointing authority for the posts of panchayat secretaries, the minister, his private secretary and the financial commissioner (rural development and panchayats) “took undue interest” in the matter, the complaint said.

According to an investigator: “Forgery and destruction of original interview marks lists was done, in order to select candidates of their choice. A number of candidates with higher qualification were awarded less interview marks and candidates with lower qualification were awarded more interview marks.”

The accused approached the Supreme Court against the CBI investigation but the apex court turned down the plea in October 2008.

The Punjab government denied sanction for prosecution against the accused, including Kahlon.

The high court, however, in March 2008 ruled that no sanction for prosecution was required by the CBI against the accused, including the then minister (and now Punjab assembly speaker).

The remaining officers against whom the CBI has registered a case are from the rural development and panchayats department.