Manpreet Badal: The vigilance department conducted raids at his residence yesterday. (file)
An arrest warrant has been issued against former finance minister of Punjab and BJP leader BJP leader Manpreet Singh Badal. This comes hours after the Punjab Police today issued a Look-Out Circular (LOC) at all airports against him.
The state's vigilance department filed a case against him yesterday in connection with alleged irregularities in the purchase of a property in Bathinda.
Manpreet Badal had filed a pre-arrest bail application, which was to come up for hearing on September 26, but his lawyer has now withdrawn it, saying they will approach the court with a fresh application now that a First Information Report, or FIR, has been registered.
An FIR under sections of the law relating to cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy, and 13(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act -- punishment for a public servant who commits criminal misconduct, in addition to the Information Technology Act, was registered against him, and five others, in a land allotment case. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had conducted raids at his residence yesterday in Sri Muktsar Sahib district.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann yesterday took a swipe at Mr Badal, saying those who used to boast about honesty are now running from pillar to post to save their skin.
"There is a huge difference between speaking the truth and standing by it," the chief minister said.
These leaders earlier used to say that they would wait for whatever action is taken against them, but are now seeking legal protection against arrest, he added.
BJP leader Sarup Chand Singla, who was earlier with the Shiromani Akali Dal, had alleged that Mr Badal, as a minister in the previous Congress government, had abused his position to convert two commercial plots into a residential plot for himself.
Mr Badal had joined the BJP after quitting the Congress in January this year.
After his questioning in July, Mr Badal had accused Chief Minister Mann of trying to suppress the voice of his political opponents with such action.