Punjab Cabinet Reshuffle: Key Portfolios Reassigned After Arrest

Following the arrest of Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora, the state government has announced a cabinet reshuffle, reallocating key portfolios to other ministers.

Photograph: Reuters

Key Points

Punjab government reallocates portfolios after the arrest of minister Sanjeev Arora by the Enforcement Directorate.
Aman Arora gains the industries and commerce and investment promotion department.
Harjot Singh Bains is assigned the local government department.
Tarunpreet Singh Sond takes over the power portfolio.
Sanjeev Arora's arrest is linked to an alleged Rs 100 crore GST fraud money laundering case.

The Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab on Monday redistributed the portfolios held by Cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora -- arrested by the Enforcement Directorate -- among ministers Aman Arora, Harjot Singh Bains, and Tarunpreet Singh Sond.

Key Portfolio Changes in Punjab Cabinet

Aman Arora, who holds the new and renewable energy sources portfolio, has been given charge of the industries and commerce and investment promotion department, while Education Minister Bains has been allocated the local government department, according to official sources.

Sond, who is the rural development, panchayats, tourism, and labour minister, has been assigned the power portfolio.

Details of Minister's Arrest

The Enforcement Directorate on May 9 arrested Punjab industries minister Arora in connection with an alleged Rs 100 crore GST fraud-linked money laundering case involving certain entities linked to him.

Arora, 62, was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following raids conducted at his official residence in Chandigarh's Sector 2 on Saturday morning.

Reactions to the Arrest

While the AAP dubbed the ED raid at Arora's residence and his subsequent arrest as politically motivated, Hampton Sky Realty Limited, at which the Punjab minister served as a director, said the company has faith in the legal process and is fully cooperating with all the statutory authorities and will continue to do so.

A special PMLA court in Gurugram on Sunday remanded Arora to ED custody for a week.

Disclaimer: News content is sourced from the stated source. Headlines, summaries, section headers, and images are automatically generated or selected using AI/algorithms and may not always be fully accurate. Readers are advised to refer to the full article for complete context.