Foodgrain tenders scam: Punjab VB registers another FIR against dismissed official Singla

Ludhiana range vigilance SSP Ravinderpal Singh Sandhu said that a fresh case against Rakesh Kumar Singla and his wife Rachna Singla has been registered “for owning wealth more than his known sources of income”.

He said that during the investigation in the earlier corruption case which was registered on August 16 last year, it came out that Singla, who was also the chairman of vigilance cell of food and civil supplies department, had “collected huge bribe money during his posting and had acquired a number of properties.”

A spokesperson of the vigilance bureau in a statement said that during the probe it was found that the couple was in possession of properties which were 58.97 per cent more than known sources of income, valuing Rs 1.36 crore approximately.

The spokesperson further added that during a probe done for the period of April 1, 2011 to July 31, 2022, it was found that the couple purchased five properties spending Rs 3.68 crore whereas their income was Rs 2.31 crore approximately.

On the basis of VB enquiry, an FIR under the sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120-B of IPC has been registered against the couple at Ludhiana vigilance police station.

Earlier, the Punjab police had written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for issuing Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Singla.

As per VB investigations, one of the accused contractors Telu Ram in his confession had admitted that Singla had taken Rs 20 lakh as bribe for facilitating allotment of tenders to him. Singla was declared a proclaimed offender in the corruption case by the Ludhiana court on December 3 last year.

The 1556-page chargesheet filed by the VB in Ludhiana court in the corruption case had revealed that despite facing six chargesheets, ‘causing loss of at least 85 crore to the department’ and subsequent demotion, Singla was not only promoted but also given crucial responsibilities of the department on the orders of Ashu.

The chargesheet also included the copy of a 2017 order which was passed by then principal secretary of the department K A P Sinha who had rejected Singla’s application seeking ‘voluntary retirement’ from the department, at the time when he faced six chargesheets and was demoted from deputy director to assistant director (DFSC). However, after Ashu became Punjab’s food and civil supplies minister in April 2018, Singla was again elevated as the chairman of chief vigilance committee (CVC) and later also given charge of two crucial verticals – inspection of crates for procurement agencies and charge of labor, transport and cartage policy.

As per the details of the six chargesheets, Singla was accused of causing irregularities in wheat distribution at Raiyaa (Amritsar) in August 2017 causing a loss of Rs 10 crore, then again in 2017 he was issued chargesheet at Banga (Nawanshahr) for loss of 25 crore, then in Tarn Taran for wheat damage of 50 crore, then in September 2017 for obtaining Canadian PR in illegal/unauthorized manner, then for failure to file income tax return as DFSC Jalandhar and delivery of wheat without RO.

Vigilance sources said that Singla’s residence in Rajguru Nagar of Ludhiana has been lying locked since August last year.