Akali ex-minister Langah gets 3-yr jail

Thursday, 12/02/2015

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MOHALI: Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Punjab cabinet minister Sucha Singh Langah was sentenced to three years in jail in a crore 13disproportionate assets case and slapped ` 1 crore fine by a court here on Wednesday. He was, however, released on bail after he deposited the ` 1 crore fine in cash.

Additional district and sessions judge Dilbagh Singh Johal also awarded three years’ sentence to Amrik Singh Mohali, another SAD leader, while acquitting eight others in the case registered 13 years ago by the Punjab vigilance bureau. The court imposed ` 1 lakh fine on Amrik, who too walked out on bail after depositing the fine. That was not all. In an additional jolt to Langah, who was public works minister in the Parkash Singh Badal-led SAD-BJP government (1997-2002), the court attached his 16 prime properties with the government. “The convict Sucha Singh Langah as a public servant being cabinet minister of Punjab accumulated property in his own name and in the names of his wife, minor sons and daughters as well as Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College Society worth ` 80 lakh, disproportionate to his known source of income, which he has failed to explain and he being a public servant committed criminal misconduct,” the ruling read.

The court also held that Langah had forged documents in the name of GGSK Society “for the purpose of cheating” and “to acquire benami property”. It added that documents were forged by Amrik too for cheating and to acquire benami property for Langah.

Meanwhile, the court acquitted eight persons, including Sudarashan Lal Kaura, Pardeep Bhateja, Vinod Kumar Garg, Jasvir Singh, Bikramjit Singh, Subhash Chander Jain, Sampuran Singh and Sher Singh.

It was during the Congress government (2002-07) that the state vigilance bureau had registered the FIR against 11 persons, including Langah, on May 16, 2002 under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. One of the accused, Subhash Chander, died in 2013. The court considered the investigation of the vigilance team, which found that while working as minister Langah had accepted illegal gratification other than the legal remuneration as a motive or reward from other persons. During the trial, the court examined 35 witnesses, including cops and officials of other departments.