Chandigarh, January 1
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) made significant strides in its fight against corruption in 2024, apprehending 173 individuals red-handed while accepting bribes in 134 separate trap cases.
VB Chief Director-cum-Special DGP Varinder Kumar revealed that the Bureau’s multi-faceted approach, combining enforcement with public awareness campaigns, resulted in the arrest of 139 government officials and 34 private individuals between January 1 and December 31, 2024.
The arrested officials included:
- 10 Gazetted Officers (GOs)
- 129 Non-Gazetted Officials (NGOs)
- 53 Punjab Police personnel
- 33 Revenue Department officials (including 24 Patwaris)
- 9 Power Department officials
- 3 Panchayats and Rural Development officials
- 8 Health Department officials
- 18 Local Bodies Department officials
- 3 Food & Civil Supply Department officials
- 2 each from the Forest, Labour, Finance, and Transport departments
The VB registered 124 criminal cases involving 29 GOs, 117 NGOs, and 117 private individuals. Additionally, 60 Vigilance Enquiries were initiated against 26 GOs, 27 NGOs, and 7 private individuals, and 3 cases of disproportionate assets were registered against 3 NGOs.
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As a result of VB cases, one GO and one NGO were dismissed from service by their respective administrative departments following convictions in competent courts. The Bureau also concluded 71 Vigilance Enquiries during the year.
Courts sentenced 50 individuals (3 GOs, 31 NGOs, and 16 private persons) in 41 cases prosecuted by the VB under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with prison sentences ranging from one to seven years. Fines totaling Rs. 22,42,000 were also imposed, ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 5,00,000 per case.
The VB conducted extensive awareness campaigns during Vigilance Awareness Week, including seminars and public meetings in both urban and rural areas, promoting integrity and administering pledges to Bureau officers and employees.
Several high-profile individuals were booked or arrested in corruption cases during the year, including:
- IAS officer Vinay Biblani
- PCS officer Harpreet Singh (Assistant Labour Commissioner, Hoshiarpur)
- ACP Nirdesh Kaur (Ludhiana)
- Executive Engineers Ranbir Singh and Rajinder Singh
- DCFA Pankaj Garg
- CTP Pankaj Bawa
- Jarnail Singh Bajwa (Bajwa Developers, Mohali)
- Medical Officer Dr. Narinder Pal Singh
- BDPOs Gurmukh Singh (Ludhiana), Sarbjit Singh (Ferozpur), and Kulwinder Singh (Mohali)
- DFSO Baldev Raj
- Tehsildars Sukhchain Singh and Lakhwinder Singh
- Deepak Kumar Singal (Deepak Builders)
- Chief Engineer Arvinder Singh
- Executive Engineers Paramjit Singh and Sarbraj Kumar
