Arrest warrant against Punjab ex-FM Manpreet Badal

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Bathinda, September 26

A local court on Tuesday issued a warrant against former Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of a property in Bathinda.

The court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Daljit Kaur issued the arrest warrant and ordered that Manpreet Badal be arrested and produced before the court.

The court orders came after the Vigilance Bureau issued a lookout circular against Manpreet Badal. All airports have been put on alert to stop him in case he tries to leave the country to evade arrest. Bathinda VB SSP Harpal Singh said, “A lookout circular has been issued against Manpreet Badal and teams are working to track him”. Manpreet Badal had filed a pre-arrest bail application, which was to come up for hearing today in the court, but his lawyer Sukhdeep Singh Bhinder has now withdrawn it, saying they will approach the court with a fresh application now that an FIR has been registered.

The case registered by the VB against Manpreet includes charges under Sections 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery), in addition to the Prevention of Corruption Act.