The Central Bureau of Investigation will question two senior Bharatiya Janata Party ministers to try and determine if they were the intended recipients of a `1.5-crore bribe intercepted during a dramatic entrapment that led to the arrest of chief parliamentary secretary Raj Khurana (also BJP) and an accomplice on Wednesday.
Punjab’s industries minister Manoranjan Kalia, who is the third senior most in the state Cabinet, and technical education minister Swarna Ram have been directed to present themselves for questioning at the CBI’s Chandigarh office on Monday morning.
Based on preliminary interrogations of the suspects already in custody as well as transcripts of telephone recordings made during the entrapment operation, the bureau’s lawyers told a special court here Saturday that there were suggestions that the bribe money seized from the possession of the CPS and Devinder Singh was actually intended for Mr Kalia.
Investigators also claim to have official documents implying Mr Swarna Ram’s role in the case.
Taking note of the progress in investigation but not acceding to the CBI’s request for a 12-day remand, the court agreed to extend Khurana and Devinder Singh’s police remand for another three days until may 9.
Meanwhile, in a somewhat curious twist to the already murky affair, Punjab’s chief secretary Subodh K. Agarwal dashed off an angry letter to the CBI late on Friday night.
In the letter, which was formally released to the press, the CS has accused the investigating agency of acting “hastily” and without adequate evidence. “The government is conscious of the requirements of any law enforcement agency to proceed against any accused in accordance with law. However, at the same time, the government is equally concerned that such proceedings should be done after due verification, and not in haste which may result in avoidable harassment,” Mr Agarwal states in his letter.