Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) is still awaiting Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan's nod to prosecute Jalandhar Central MLA Raman Arora. Raman Arora has been lodged in jail a high-profile corruption and extortion case.
Punjab Vigilance Bureau a few days back had filed a detailed chargesheet against Raman Arora, Jalandhar Municipal Corporation Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Sukhdev Vashisht, Inspector Harpreet Kaur, and others linked in the case.
While permission for prosecution against Sukhdev Vashisht, and Harpreet Kaur have been granted, the Punjab Assembly Speaker has not given his nod for MLA Raman Arora.
Notably, without the Speaker's permission, legal action under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act cannot proceed.
Vigilance has submitted a 30-page report to the government regarding the extortion and corruption charges against Raman Arora. The agency investigated the case in 58 days.
Sources close to the investigation revealed that while the Disproportionate Assets (DA) component of the case has not yet been included in the current chargesheet, a separate inquiry is underway regarding that angle.
The chargesheet alleges that Raman Arora misused his political position to run an extortion network, where violation notices were issued to builders and then allegedly resolved in exchange for bribes.
Raman Arora allegedly exploited the fear of investigative agencies like the Vigilance Bureau and the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) to extract money from local developers and businesses.
One of the many witnesses in the case, Ashok Kumar, a resident of Radio Colony, informed Vigilance Bureau that he operates Super Cremica Sweets near Company Bagh Chowk. Raman Arora, after becoming an MLA in 2022, began to harass him.
In Sheikhan Bazar, near the Bala Ji Temple, Arora met him and threatened him, saying, "You did not support me in the election; you will see the consequences."
Ashok explained that Arora would send traffic police to his shop or dispatch food inspectors to harass him.
When Ashok met Arora outside his office, he pleaded with folded hands, stating, "I am a businessman; please don't harass me." At that time, he reportedly paid Rs 1.50 lakh.
Despite this, Arora allegedly continued to pressure him, demanding goods worth approximately Rs 50,000 every month under the guise of various functions and events.