Chandigarh, June 27 -- Many politicians in Punjab have been arrested on charges of bending or breaking the law for their personal gains but rarely have they been convicted. In almost all cases, charges collapse in court and these politicians walk free, especially after the regime change. More than 50 high-profile cases registered under different regimes since 2000 were either withdrawn because of change of guard or could not hold ground in the court, reveals an analysis of vigilance bureau (VB) data by Hindustan Times. The arrest of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia by the VB under the Prevention of Corruption Act has again brought the spotlight back on high-profile cases involving politicians. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which stormed into power in 2022 has been harping on its anti-corruption stand, stating zero tolerance against bribery and graft. In the current regime, many cases of corruption, including disproportionate assets, have been registered against political leaders, both from the Opposition and AAP, but there has been no conviction. The rivals have accused the Bhagwant Mann-led government of political vendetta, a charge vehemently denied by the ruling party. Experts attribute the negligible conviction rate in such cases to political interference. "There is no denying that the vigilance bureau has often been used as a political tool to target individuals, rather than fulfilling its core mandate of curbing corruption," said a retired DGP-rank official. Under the current regime, two corruption cases, registered against former Congress ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sunder Sham Arora, have been quashed by the Punjab and Haryana high court. The Rs.2,000-crore foodgrain transportation scam involving then food and civil supplies minister Ashu was quashed by the Punjab and Haryana high court in December 2024. The VB had registered two FIRs for cheating and corruption. The VB had alleged that Ashu had attempted to help certain contractors by changing a clause in the Punjab Food Grains Labour and Cartage Policy, 2020-21. Ashu had moved the high court seeking the quashing of the FIRs. These FIRs were based on allegations of Ashu receiving bribes through his conduits for compromising tenders related to food procurement and transportation, as well as their quality and conditions. Ashu even remained in jail for over four months. A corruption case was registered by the VB against then industries minister Arora citing Rs.500-700 industrial plot transfer scam. An FIR was registered against Arora and he was arrested on the charges of receiving kickbacks. However, in January 2025, the Punjab and Haryana high court held that VB misused its powers while registering the FIR against Arora and officials of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC) in connection with an industrial plot transfer scam in Mohali district. The court stated that permission for bifurcation was granted lawfully by the competent authority and the VB allegations of a loss of Rs. 500-700 crore are imaginary. The HC observed that the bureau selectively targeted and victimised the petitioners. The bench quashed the FIR registered by the VB in January 2023 against Arora and others for breach of trust, corruption, cheating and forgery. On May 24, 2022, the VB arrested then health minister under the and Mansa MLA Dr Vijay Singla for allegedly demanding commission for tenders cleared by his department. It was alleged that Singla had sought 2% commission against the Rs.58- crore tender, which was Rs.1.16 crore, but the complainant, an official, had refused to pay. The VB filed a challan against Singla on December 12, 2022, but charges have not been framed yet. Similarly, in the case of Bathinda rural MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta, who was arrested on February 23, 2023, in a corruption case, the trial is yet to begin even after two years. The VB had initially caught Kotfatta's associate, Rashim Garg, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs.4 lakh in lieu of releasing a village development fund of Rs.25 lakh. Later, the MLA was also arrested amid allegations that the money received was meant for him. During the AAP regime, the VB had arrested former deputy chief minister OP Soni, former MLA Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon and former minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, former minister Manpreet Singh Badal in cases related to DA, corruption or misusing their position. Challans have been filed against all three but the status is pending, said officials familiar with the matter. With the change of regime in Punjab, the VB, under Captain Amarinder Singh in June 2003, filed cases of corruption and DA against former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his wife Surinder Kaur Badal and son Sukhbir Singh Badal. In June 2010, the cases fell flat after the Badals came to power in 2007. Two investigating officers in the case - inspector general BK Uppal and SSP Surinderpal Singh - turned hostile even after filing the challan. When the Badals came to power in 2007, the VB registered FIRs against Capt Amarinder and others in the Ludhiana City Centre scam. A challan was filed in the case in 2009. In 2014, on the directions of high court, an SIT led by DIG Rajinder Singh was constituted, which gave a clean chit to Amarinder. The VB filed a cancellation report in the case in 2016. Akali leader and former PWD minister Sucha Singh Lalgah is an exception, as he was convicted in a DA case registered against him in 2002. He was sentenced for two-year jail and a fine of Rs.1 crore. The VB had registered a case against Tota Singh for irregularities in recruitment in 2001 when he was education minister in the SAD-BJP regime. Charges were framed in 2007. Tota Singh was accused of criminal conspiracy and corruption in the recruitment of 134 clerks and 60 assistants. In 2018, he was acquitted as all 20 witnesses turned hostile. In another case, he was sentenced to one-year jail in a case of misusing his car, thus causing loss to the state exchequer. Many cases have witnessed inordinate delay by the VB when names of high-profile people figured in the probe, according to officials. In the FIRs registered in the irrigation scam during the previous Capt Amarinder Singh government and guava scam registered under present AAP regime, the probe has failed to make any headway after names of certain senior bureaucrats figured in the probe. A former chief director of the Punjab vigilance bureau has raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of anti-corruption investigations, attributing the failure of most cases to political interference. "Everyone is aware of the political interference in the functioning of the Punjab Police. When cases are registered based on political motives, they are bound to unravel with a change in the regime," said Amardeep Sukheeja, former additional advocate general of Punjab. Despite these criticisms, a senior official of the vigilance bureau, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: "Our conviction rate has seen substantial improvement over the past three years, and it's now among the best in the country. Given the complexities of our legal system, securing convictions in disproportionate assets and corruption cases demands significant effort and thorough investigation."...