Mohali: Gajpat Singh Grewal, brother-in-law of former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia, has been granted anticipatory bail by a Mohali court in a disproportionate assets case.
The court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge granted him relief on October 31 after the Punjab Vigilance Bureau informed it that his custodial interrogation was no longer required.
The development came after the Vigilance Bureau filed a supplementary charge sheet in the case and stated that its investigation concerning Grewal had been completed.
Vigilance Bureau Says Custodial Interrogation Not Required
The Vigilance Bureau had earlier told the court that Grewal’s custodial interrogation was necessary to take the investigation forward and uncover the alleged conspiracy to conceal disproportionate assets.
However, its position changed after the supplementary charge sheet was filed. The Bureau informed the court that no further questioning of Grewal in custody was required.
Taking this into account, the court granted him anticipatory bail.
High Court Had Stayed Proclaimed Offender Proceedings
The Vigilance Bureau had also moved a court seeking to declare Grewal a proclaimed offender. During the proceedings, the Bureau cited three addresses allegedly linked to him: Village Kheri in Sangrur district, Basant Vihar in Delhi and Defence Colony in South Delhi.
However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had stayed the Bureau’s move to declare him a proclaimed offender until further orders.
What Are the Allegations in the Disproportionate Assets Case?
The case relates to an FIR registered on a complaint by DSP Inderpal Singh. It invokes Sections 13(1) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, along with Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with criminal conspiracy.
According to the Vigilance Bureau, Grewal allegedly played a key role in a conspiracy to accumulate assets disproportionate to the known sources of income of the prime accused, Bikram Singh Majithia, and conceal those assets through various means.
The grant of anticipatory bail provides Grewal relief from arrest in the case. The allegations against him remain subject to the legal process.