Bhag Singh in judicial custody; next hearing May 24

The Court of Special CBI Judge Ritu Tagore remanded Bhag Singh,private secretary to Minister for Technical Education Swarna Ram,to judicial remand on Wednesday after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) refused to seek his police remand.

Bhag Singh had been arrested in connection with the corruption case allegedly involving former chief parliamentary secretary Raj Khurana and his alleged conduit Devinder Singh. The CBI had taken Bhag Singh on a day’s remand to interrogate him to find out as to how the Xerox copy of an official note recommending action against the culprits in a fraudulent land deal was recovered from the Mohali office of Devinder Singh,a Class III employee-turned-property dealer.

The note dated April 7 was “signed” by Swarna Ram and forwarded to Minister for Industries Manorajan Kalia,recommending suitable action. The one-page note was forwarded after Manmohan Singh,a member of the Punjab Automobile Mechanic Association,had complained that members of the association,including its general secretary Manpreet Singh,the complainant in the CBI case,had fraudulently sold off the land belonging to the association.

Khurana was arrested on May 4,along with Devinder,on charges of demanding a bribe of Rs 1.5 crore to hush up the complaint against Manpreet. The case will now come up for resumed hearing on May 24.