Punjab Congress Ex-MLA's arrest Stayed

Chandigarh, Oct 20 (UNI) The Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered against the arrest of Jugal Kishore Sharma former Punjab Congress MLA and the ex chairman, Improvement Trust, Amritsar.

Justice M.M.S.Bedi, while staying the arrest for 10 days , as in the case of the former local bodies minister Jagjit Singh Chaudhary, directed the petitioner Sharma to approach the competent lower court for anticipatory bail.

Sharma had moved the high court for the grant of anticipatory bail in connection with the case registered by the state vigilance bureau at Mohali on the directions of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

The special committee of the Vidhan Sabha had, after going into the issue of alleged irregularities and kickbacks, held the former Punjab chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Jagjit Singh Chaudhary, former Vidhan Sabha secretary N.S.Mavi among others guilty in this case.

The committee had called for appropriate criminal proceedings in the matter whereafter the vigilance was directed to do the needful.

Sharma was the chairman of the Improvement Trust Amritsar when a builder's chunk of land had been exempted from the residential scheme of the trust fuelling speculation of kickbacks and irregularities.

However, Jugal Kishore Sharma has alleged that the charge was part of the ''vendetta cases'' unleashed by political rivals--the Shiromani Akali Dal- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime headed by Parkash Singh Badal-- against the Congressmen.

UNI XC JN MMS2013