Former PPSC chairman Ravi Sidhu gets six years' jail

Chandigarh, July 15: The Punjab Public Service Commission's (PPSC) former chairman Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu aka Ravi Sidhu was Monday sentenced to six years' imprisonment in a bribery case by a court in Punjab's Ropar town.

Ravi Sidhu has been convicted of bribery in recruitment of class-I officers in the Punjab government.

The court in Ropar, 45 km from here, also imposed a penalty of Rs.150,000 on Sidhu.

Sidhu was booked by the Punjab vigilance bureau in March 2002 after a major controversy over PPSC selections being done by taking bribes.

The journalist-turned-PPSC chairman was arrested by the vigilance bureau after he was caught taking a bribe of Rs.5 lakh.

Raids at his residence and other places revealed that he had amassed wealth of over Rs.80 crore, the vigilance bureau had claimed.

Over Rs 8.15 crore was found from his lockers in banks in Chandigarh.

A court in Patiala had, earlier this month, convicted nine Punjab Civil Service (PCS) officers for paying bribes to get selected.

Those held guilty include five serving and four retired officers.

The court ruling proved that cash had changed hands to seek recruitment for the senior civil services jobs in Punjab.

IANS