Despite enquiries from the Centre, the Punjab Government is refusing to make former Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) chief A P Pandey available for a Central posting. The Punjab cadre IPS officer had during Capt Amarinder Singh’s regime registered corruption cases against present Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, their relatives and close associates as well as at least eight former ministers in the previous Government headed by Badal. The Union Home Ministry had recently asked the state if the officer, now posted as Vigilance chief of Punjab State Electricity Board, was available for Central deputation. “We wrote to the state government on September 11, asking if 1974-batch IPS officer AP Pandey, who stands empanelled as Director-General, could be made available for Central deputation. The letter categorically said the Government’s response should reach us by September 16. However, we have still not received any reply,” said a senior officer in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).While Punjab Chief Secretary R I Singh could not be contacted for the government’s stand on the issue, sources in the state Government said the file in this regard is with the Chief Minister’s Officer. It is also learnt that Pandey met the Chief Minister to request him to expedite the reply. Sources in the MHA said when no response came from the state government in the stipulated time, enquiries were also made. “Pandey is eligible for posting either as DG or on any of the newly-created posts of Special DGs in the BSF, CRPF. When we sent the letter, he was being considered for posting as head of a Central police force,” said a senior MHA officer.
