Ex Punjab Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot Arrested in Disproportionate Assets Case

Former Punjab Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot has been arrested for amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau carried out the arrest after it found Dharamsot had spent 269 percent more than what he made from his known sources of income between 2016 and 2022.

A vigilance inquiry conducted by the Punjab vigilance bureau has led to the arrest of former Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot. The minister has been accused of having disproportionate assets and an FIR under sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at Mohali. Dharamsot will be present in a Mohali court on Tuesday for his hearing.

The probe found that between March 1, 2016 and March 31, 2022, Dharamsot and his family’s earnings were Rs. 2,37,12,596. His expenditure, however, was Rs 8,76,30,888 which was 269 percent more than his known sources of income. This suggests Dharamsot had other undisclosed sources of income. More of his assets are being identified by the vigilance bureau.

Dharamsot was arrested before on charges of “organized corruption” back in June of last year. He and his two associates were accused of issuing permits for cutting of Khair trees, issuance of no objection certificates, purchase, and transfer of government officials. However, he was granted bail on September 5 by Punjab and Haryana high court.

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