Punjab Health Minister sacked, arrested over corruption charges

May 24: In an important development, Punjab Health Minister Vijay Singla was sacked from the state Cabinet on Tuesday and arrested on corruption charges with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asserting that his government has zero-tolerance towards corruption. Singla’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Pardeep Kumar was also arrested, and both were presented before the court of Ravtesh Inderjit Singh in Mohali under heavy security, which sent them to three-day police remand.

The Aam Aadmi Party has been in power in Punjab for barely two months. The chief minister himself announced the removal of Singla from the council of ministers. Mann said the decision was made after he came to know that Singla was allegedly demanding one per cent commission in tenders and purchases of his department. An FIR against the two have been registered at the Mohali Phase-8 police station on a complaint by Superintending Engineer Rajinder Singh who has alleged they demanded Rs 1.16-crore bribe from the allotment of projects and a one per cent commission in all future contracts.

CM @ArvindKejriwal addressing an important press conference on Punjab CM @BhagwantMann's anti-corruption action | LIVE #कट्टर_ईमानदार_AAP https://t.co/5pfynIBvqd

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) May 24, 2022

Singla, a dental surgeon, was elected to the assembly from the Mansa seat, defeating Punjabi singer and Congress candidate Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known as Sidhu Moosewala. It is learnt that an audio recording was also made which purportedly implicates Singla. Singla and OSD Kumar have been booked under the relevant sections of the Punjab Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.