Controversy Erupts Over Closure Report in Vijay Singla's Corruption Case

The Punjab Police have formally closed a corruption case against former health minister Vijay Singla, three years after his arrest and removal from the cabinet. The move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition parties, who accuse the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of protecting one of its own.

In 2022, a complaint by Superintending Engineer Rajinder Singh alleged that Singla and his officer on special duty, Pardeep Kumar, demanded a bribe for construction project allotments. Despite these serious charges, a court in Mohali received a closure report, which the complainant accepted, stating no objections.

Opposition leaders have expressed outrage over the closure, with Congress's Partap Singh Bajwa and Shiromani Akali Dal's Sukhbir Singh Badal questioning the integrity of the investigation. They demand an independent probe, accusing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of turning governance into a mere spectacle with no real commitment to justice.

(With inputs from agencies.)