The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has registered a case against former chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Parkash Singh Badal and seven others, including his wife Surinder Kaur and son Sukhbir, for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.
The case was registered on Tuesday under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, vigilance sources said in Chandigarh.
The sources said that the bureau had not made any arrests in this case as 'further investigations are in progress'.
Some of the accused, however, are already in custody as they have been arrested in connection with other cases.
The vigilance sources said those figuring in the first information report registered at Mohali, near Chandigarh, were Badal's former officer on special duty Hardeep Singh, his non-resident Indian nephew Narottam Singh Dhillon, WIMPY chairman Kanwaljit Singh Sidhu, one Ashish Kapoor and Krishan Kumar, PA to Badal's son.
"It is alleged that moveable and immovable assets have been created by Badal in the names of his dear and near ones," the FIR said, adding, "the money received from illegal and unknown sources of income was used for creating various firms in the name of his son.
"In many cases, this money was subsequently transferred to other companies like Orbit Resorts Ltd. Money received by corrupt and illegal means like transfers, postings, allotment of contracts, appointments, etc. were also used to create properties," it added.
The bureau alleged that Rs 9 crore 'was channelised through various countries using hawala channels in connivance with Kanwaljit Singh Sidhu'.
It also charged Badal with having made 'bogus investments by showing receipt of loans from relations like Dhillon'.
While Hardeep Singh, the former OSD to Badal, is absconding, Dhillon is in judicial custody.
After Dhillon's arrest, vigilance sleuths had raided Badal's residence at Lambi village in Muktsar district and also his farmhouse at Balasar village in Haryana.
Badal was also recently questioned at his official residence in Chandigarh in connection with an alleged multi-crore irrigation scandal.
Immediately after assuming charge as chief minister, Amarinder Singh had accused Badal of amassing property worth Rs 3,500 crore outside the country.
Badal, in a statement, described the registration of case as an 'act of vendetta' on the part of the chief minister.
"The registration of case against me and my family is not (the act of) any law enforcing agency, but a personal whim of the chief minister," he said.
