Ex-minister Gilzian seeks quashing of FIR

FORMER FOREST MINISTER IS ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION DURING CONGRESS REGIME IN STATE

Former forest minister Sangat Singh Gilzian has approached the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking quashing of an FIR registered by the Punjab vigilance bureau against him on the allegations of corruption.

The plea was taken up by the bench of justice Anoop Chitkara, which posted the matter for hearing on July 4.

The FIR in question was registered on June 6 by the Punjab vigilance bureau under sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy. His predecessor in the previous Congress regime, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, has been arrested in the case.

Gilzian was appointed forest minister in the Congress government on September 26, 2021 and he lost in the February 2022 assembly polls.

He has been accused of organised corruption pertaining to the issuance of permits for cutting of khair trees, transfer of officials, purchases, and issuance of NOCS etc.

Gilzian, in his plea, claimed that the FIR is an act of “political vendetta” because of change in the government.

The petitioner has not committed any acts of “omission and commission”, he claimed, adding that the FIR was a result of claims by one Harmohinder Singh against the former minister of bribing officials and political persons.

There is no specific allegation that the petitioner showed favour to anybody by misusing his official power, he said, stating that such confessional statement cannot itself be taken as substantive piece of evidence in the absence of some corroborative material.