Last Updated: September 18, 2023, 22:24 IST
AAP and Congress have been at loggerheads in Punjab even as they are part of the opposition INDIA bloc to jointly take on the ruling BJP in next year’s general elections. (File photo: PTI)
The former legislator, in collusion with her husband, had accumulated assets exceeding their known sources of income during her tenure as a member of the legislative assembly, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau said
A former Congress MLA was arrested along with her husband by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Monday in connection with an alleged disproportionate assets case after the agency finished its probe. A vigilance department spokesperson said that Satkar Kaur Gehri, a former MLA from Ferozpur Rural, and her husband, Jasmail Singh Gehri, resident of village Shakoor, Ferozepur district, were arrested after a detailed investigation into the case.
Disclosing this on Monday, a spokesperson for the Punjab VB revealed that during the investigation, it was discovered that the former legislator, in collusion with her husband, had accumulated assets exceeding their known sources of income during her tenure as a member of the legislative assembly.
“During the check period, her total income from all sources amounted to Rs 1,65,34,053, while her total expenditures during the same period were Rs 4,49,19,831. Consequently, their expenditures amounted to Rs 2,83,85,778.41, which represents a disproportionate increase of 171.68%,” he added.
The spokesperson also informed that a case under sections 13(1), 13(B) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against both individuals at the VB police station in Ferozepur. Further investigations in this matter were under progress, he added.
The latest arrest of its leader is expected to draw further angry reactions from the Congress against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab, which has been accused of a political witch hunt. The two parties have been at loggerheads in Punjab even as they are part of the opposition INDIA bloc to jointly take on the ruling BJP in next year’s general elections.
Punjab Congress leaders, however, have already urged the central leadership not to have any alliance with AAP for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. In fact, at a recent meeting of party leaders, many urged state unit chief Amrinder Raja Warring to convey their resentment about the tie-up.
