The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has submitted a chargesheet against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator from Bathinda Rural, Amit Rattan Kotfatta (42) who was arrested on bribery charges in February and his personal assistant (PA), Rashim Garg in a local court on Bathinda.
Disclosing this on Tuesday, a spokesperson of the VB said the Bathinda range VB team had registered a corruption case against the AAP’s member of legislative assembly (MLA) and his PA on 16 February after the latter (Garg) was arrested for accepting a bribe of Rs Four lakh. During the investigation, the MLA was also arrested in this case on 20 February as his PA had received the bribe on behalf of the MLA.
The spokesperson said a grant of Rs 25 lakh was issued by the state government under the 15th Finance Commission during the year 2022-23 to village Ghuda, district Bathinda, whose bills were pending.
The MLA’s PA, Garg, had demanded a bribe of Rs Five lakh from the Sarpanch of village Ghuda. Garg was arrested red-handed by the VB on 16 February while he was receiving a bribe of Rs Four lakh in lieu of to facilitate release of said grant. The said Sarpanch had already given Rs 50,000 as demanded by the PA.
The spokesperson said that during the investigation of this case, it has came to light that this bribe was obtained by Garg on the directions of MLA Amit Ratan. This apart, Garg had received a bribe of Rs 2,50,000 from Gurdas Singh of village Ghuda for getting him the Numberdari of his village.
“On the basis of findings of alleged bribes, the VB has added another section of 120-B of IPC in the said case and nominated the MLA Amit Ratan in the present case and thereafter arrested on 22 February from Shambhu. Both the accused are in judicial custody and in jail. Further investigation of this case was under progress”, he said.