Money taken for postings, issuance of NOCs: VB chargesheet against Dharamsot

The chargesheet stated that the minister’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Chamkaur Singh was the middle man and they would give money to him on the directions of the former minister. The DFOs had also revealed that they were scared of the minister. At least two DFOs told the VB that they had given Rs 15 lakh and Rs 12 lakh to the minister through Chamkaur Singh.

The Vigilance Bureau (VB) had filed the chargesheet against Dharamsot, who is currently lodged in jail, on August 6 in the district court in a corruption case.

The chargesheet also highlighted that the former minister took money from a private consultancy firm to issue NOCs for making passages in the forest land. The money was taken from filling stations and hotel owners. Rs 1 lakh was charged from the owners of filling stations while Rs 50,000 was taken from hotel owners to clear passages to their properties.

The chargesheet stated that the private firm engaged in getting the NOCs had applied
for a total of 118 NOCs, 42 of which were cleared during Dharamsot’s tenure. The firm had paid between Rs 15-20 lakh to Dharamsot through one Parveen Kumar. Dharamsot was the Forest Minister during Captain Amarinder Singh’s government. He was arrested by the VB on June 7 along with his media advisor Kamaljeet Singh, who is also an accused in the case.