In the alleged multi-crore rupee forest scam, the Vigilance Bureau has filed a chargesheet against former Punjab minister Sangat Singh Gilzian's nephew Daljit Singh and two others. Gilzian is charged in the case together with other private contractors, as well as top state forest department officials.
A chargesheet was recently submitted in the court of additional and session judge Parminder Singh Grewal in Mohali against Daljit, contractor Nitin Bansal, and middleman Binder Singh. Daljit is currently out on bail, but Nitin and Binder remain in judicial custody.
According to the chargesheet, Gilzian called all divisional forest officials in the state and urged them to purchase tree guards from Sachin Kumar, an aide of private contractor Harmohinder Singh, at an inflated cost of Rs.2,800. In this, they got a commission of Rs.800 per tree guard. Gilzian received a bribe of over Rs. 6.40 crore in exchange for the sale of 80,000 tree guards.
Gilzian introduced Daljit to the forest department employees and told them that the latter would watch after his work. Daljit admitted that Vipul Sehgal, a close associate who is also implicated and is still at large, had suggested buying tree guards at a premium price in return for an 800 commission. They then discussed it with Praveen Kumar, who then gave DFO Vishal Chauhan the order to purchase tree guards from Vipul Sehgal after giving him a call.
*Vigilance arrests Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies red-handed taking bribe Rs. 20,000*
As per chargesheet “Once Sangat Singh Gilzian became forest minister in 2021, he appointed Praveen Kumar the chief conservator of forests. As per Harmohidner, Daljit had asked for Rs. 20 lakh from IFS officer Vishal Chauhan, another accused, to get him posted in the Mohali district. Vishal told Harmohinder that he had Rs. 10 lakh and needed Rs. 10 lakh more so that he can pay Daljit for his posting. He got Rs. 10 lakh from Harmohinder and also promised to adjust borrowed ₹10 lakh in ongoing bribe for the cutting of trees to him by Harmohinder."
Additionally, the vigilance investigated the money's route from the payment of tree guards to Daljit via Binder Singh. The vigilance discovered that Amit Chauhan, in connivance with range officer Sukhwinder Singh, stole 52 lakh from the sale of tree guards. In addition, the bureau said that Sangat Singh Gilzian and Parveen Kumar circumvented established procedures to transfer 23 executive field officials in January of this year after taking payment from them.
A complaint has been filed under the Indian Penal Code's Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating), 465, 467, and 468 (all forgeries), 471 and 120-B (criminal conspiracy), as well as Sections 7, 7 (A), 13 (1), and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.