Khaira demands FIR in ‘bribery audio clip’
CHANDIGARH: Leader of opposition in Punjab assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira on Sunday demanded registration of a first information report (FIR) by Chandigarh Police in the “bribery audio clip” released by two Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) MLAs in connection with a drug case against him.
Questioning the silence maintained by police in the matter, Khaira said he along with Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) legislators Simarjeet Singh Bains and Balwinder Singh Bains, and some others had provided the five-minute audio clip to the city police, but they were still to register the case. “Why is Chandigarh Police dithering? Is it under pressure from politicians or the judiciary?” the Aam Aadmi Party leader said at a press conference.
Khaira said he had made a specific statement to Chandigarh’s superintendent of police (SP), operations and training, Ravi Kumar on December 11 in which the chain of events that led to the dismissal of his revision petition by the high court in the case was listed. The audio recording was a purported conversation between a lawyer, Amit Chaudhary, and a dismissed Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officer, TK Goyal, in which the former talked about alleged payment of ₹35 lakh in connection with the case.
Khaira said he had learnt that the city police had recorded Chaudhary’s statement and also summoned Goyal who recorded the conversation. “The registration of an FIR is the legitimate right of all citizens. The police should first register the FIR and then proceed against the culprits,” he said.
Alleging a “deep conspiracy” by his adversaries, he said in case the police failed to register a case, he would be compelled to move the high court for action against all those involved. The two LIP MLAs also held a separate press conference in Ludhiana and demanded a CBI inquiry into the audio clip.