Ex-Akali minister Garcha arrested in corruption case

CHANDIGARH: There seems to be no let up in the Vigilance Bureau''s campaign to trap former SAD ministers in corruption cases.
A team of VB sleuths, in an early morning swoop on Saturday, arrested former technical education minister Jagdish Singh Garcha in Ludhiana on the charge of causing financial loss of about Rs 11.51 crore to the Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, by committing largescale irregularities in setting up computer and technical education centres in and outside Punjab.
PTU director (outreach) Amarjit Singh Grewal was also picked up by the VB for his alleged connivance with the former SAD minister in the case.
Garcha is the fourth former SAD minister to be arrested by the VB. Earlier, Sucha Singh Langah, Tota Singh and AS Kohar were taken into custody for allegedly indulging in corrupt practices during their tenure as ministers in the SAD-BJP government.
VB chief director AP Pandey said two other associates of Garcha, his son, Parminder Singh and former PTU vice-chancellor, HS Guram, also booked in the case, were at large.
While Garcha''s son was not at his residence when the VB team raided his house, Guram has reportedly gone underground.
Garcha''s son used to indirectly look after the sanctioning of PTU study centres and make collections from those who had been allotted PTU franchisees.
The VB team recovered fixed deposits worth Rs 90.50 lakh, cash worth Rs 3.51 lakh and a computer from the former minister''s office, Garcha Enterprises, besides other documents related to his property, credit cards, and three cellular telephones.
Pandey said the VB investigations have also proved that illegal appointments were made in the PTU while question papers were leaked and answer-sheets tampered with.
Repression, says Badal: Within hours of Jagdish Singh Garcha''s arrest by the vigilance bureau (VB) Shiromani Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal strongly condemned the continuing reign of repression and lawless vendetta unleashed by chief minister Amarinder Singh against the SAD leaders.
Badal said that even the whereabouts of Garcha were being kept secret from his family and the party and we have no clue as to what the VB was really upto.