VB books Akali leader in assets case

CHANDIGARH: In the first corruption case registered against a prominent Akali leader after the Congress came to power in March last year, the Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Sunday booked Dyal Singh Kolianwali, a former member of the Punjab Subordinate Service Selection Board and ex-chairman of Punjab Agro Industries, for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 1

In the first corruption case registered against a prominent Akali leader after the Congress came to power in March last year, the Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Sunday booked Dyal Singh Kolianwali, a former member of the Punjab Subordinate Service Selection Board and ex-chairman of Punjab Agro Industries, for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) dubbed the case as political vendetta. Party spokesperson Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said, “The VB has booked him without even taking his statement. It’s a one-sided case. We will protest against it.” Kolianwali, a former member of the SGPC executive, could not be contacted.

Vigilance Bureau IG Shive Kumar Verma, whose team conducted the inquiry against Kolianwali, said they had called him for questioning, but he did not turn up. “We held a preliminary inquiry into the allegations of corruption. Later, a regular inquiry was conducted, but he did not cooperate.”

Once close to the Badal family, Kolianwali was removed from various committees of the SAD in recent years.

The VB spokesperson said a disproportionate assets case had been registered against the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the VB police station in Mohali.

As per the FIR, Kolianwali’s expenditure was 71 per cent higher than his income from 2009-14. The accused held various positions in the Akali-BJP government during this period and had shown total income of Rs 2.39 crore. However, he had allegedly spent Rs 4.1 crore on movable and immovable properties.

The spokesperson further said that during the investigation it was found that the accused had misused his official position, getting employees transferred/deployed in connivance with government officials and collecting money with the help of unscrupulous elements.

He added that Kolianwali owned hotels, agricultural farms etc. in states such as Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. “During the period in question, he also spent heavily on his son’s wedding,” the spokesperson added.