Court rejects Nirmal Singh Kahlon’s bail plea

The special court of the CBI on Saturday rejected the anticipatory bail of Punjab assembly speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon in a case of financial corruption and administrative irregularities conducted by him during his term as a state cabinet minister.

Fearing his arrest by the CBI, the Speaker had moved an anticipatory bail application in the court of special judge Balbir Singh in Patiala, after the CBI chargesheeted him for his involvement in rigging the selection of 909 panchayat secretaries.

The CBI, on July 9, had filed a chargesheet in the special court against Kahlon and two senior officers for “indulging in corrupt practices and committing administrative irregularities” in the selection of panchayat secretaries in 2000 when he was a cabinet minister for Rural Development and Panchayats.

A CBI spokesperson said the probe had revealed that large sums of money changed hands during the selection process. “The accused did not follow legal advice based on the judgments of the Supreme Court for fixing percentage of interview marks. A number of candidates with better qualifications were awarded less marks and candidates who were having lower qualifications were awarded more marks,” he said.

The Punjab police had registered a case on June 26, 2003, against Kahlon and 13 others after the Congress government came to power. The case was later transferred to the CBI.