Anti Corruption drive by Punjab Govt: Zero tolerance policy

Updated: 10/3/2026
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Last Updated: 3 October 2026

June 2025: PSPCL launched online portal grms.pspcl.in to register corruption/bribery complaints; link is sent by SMS to every consumer using key services like new connections[1]

June 2025: PSPCL launched online portal grms.pspcl.in to register corruption/bribery complaints; link is sent by SMS to every consumer using key services like new connections[2]

1,146 arrests in 1,107 corruption cases by Vigilance Bureau (16 March 2022 - 31 August 2026)[3]
-- 248 accused convicted in 154 cases[3:1]
-- Including 12+ senior politicians & bureaucrats[4]

-- Dismissed of 52 police personnel on charges of corruption, including 1 inspector, 5 ASIs, 4 head constables on 19 Feb 2025[5]

Anti Corruption Action Line 9501200200 for reporting corruption/bribes
-- Launched on 23 Mar 2022 by AAP Govt(within 7 days of taking Oath)[6]
-- 16,950 complaints received (till 31 May 2026); 368 accused arrested in 284 FIRs based on these complaints[7]
-- 189 FIRs registered till Oct 2024 for complaints received[8]

Vigilance Bureau Action (March 2022 - Oct 2024)[8:1]

-- 673 FIRs have been registered
--Even a Rag picker got an Inspector arrested[9]
--Hotelier got Police In-charge & staff arrested for demanding monthly bribe[10]

“There are clear instructions from the government not to spare anyone who indulges in corruption

The results of the drive show people have became vigilant and are helping the VB catch the accused,” said Vigilance Bureau official[11]

High Profile Politicians Arrested[6:1]

  • Unearthing Foodgrain transportation scam, PSIEC plot scam, Transport department illegal verification scam besides the forest department scam are some of prominent work items[11:1]
  • Former Deputy Chief Minister congressman OP Soni arrested[12]
  • Bharat Bhushan Ashu, former Congress Minister of Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs
  • Sunder Sham Arora, former Congress Minister for Industries and Commerce & current BJP leader
    • Caught red handed offering bribe to Vigilance
  • Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, former Congress Minister for Social Welfare and Forests
  • Former Congress MLAs Kushal Deep Dhillon and Joginder Pal Bhoa
  • Former Chairman of the Amritsar Improvement Trust Dinesh Bassi from Congress

High Profile Govt Officers arrested[6:2]

  • IAS Sanjay Popli
  • Current IAS officer Rajesh Dhiman's wife in Guava Scam, anticipatory bail cancelled[13][14]
  • Chargesheet against Punjab Police DIG Inderbir Singh, while cases of two more IPS officers are being investigated[11:2]
  • PCS officer Narinder Singh Dhaliwal
  • Faridkot DSP in Rs 20 lakh bribery case[15]
  • Son of PCS officer(retd in 2020) Shiv Kumar arrested in Guava Scam[14:1]
  • Chief Forest Conservator Parveen Kumar
  • Forest Conservator Vishal Chohan
  • AIG Police Ashish Kapoor
  • IFS, Amit Chohan
  • DFO Guramanpreet Singh

Even own party AAP MLAs & Ministers not spared[6:3]

  • Dr Vijay Singla, former AAP health minister and MLA, was arrested in May 2022
  • AAP MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta was arrested in February 2023
  • Surinder Kamboj, father of AAP MLA Jagdeep ‘Goldy’ Kamboj, was arrested in April 2023

References:

  1. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=211972 (Punjab Govt Press Release, 10 Oct 2025) ↩︎

  2. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=211972 (Punjab Govt Press Release, 10 Oct 2025) ↩︎

  3. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jalandhar/vigilance-bureau-arrested-1146-in-1107-corruption-cases-since-march-2022 ↩︎ ↩︎

  4. https://finance.punjab.gov.in/uploads/26Mar2025/2e99440b-e9e9-444f-8730-911f6aa6ecd2_20250326133710.pdf (page 2) ↩︎

  5. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/punjab-graft-purge-continues-52-cops-dismissed-from-service-in-a-week-says-dgp-9845336/ ↩︎

  6. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/year-after-launch-of-anti-graft-helpline-300-arrested-bhagwant-mann-510934 ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  7. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=223136 (Punjab Govt Press Release) ↩︎

  8. https://www.punjabnewsexpress.com/punjab/news/ensure-disposal-of-complaints-in-fair-transparent-time-bound-manner-vb-chief-directs-officials-267378 ↩︎ ↩︎

  9. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/sanitary-inspector-arrested-for-taking-bribe-from-ragpicker-in-ludhiana-101686250041511.html ↩︎

  10. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/patiala/rajpura-cia-staff-incharge-among-three-held-for-graft-517240 ↩︎

  11. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/two-years-of-aap-govt-punjab-s-fight-against-corruption-on-course-101710530974238.html ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  12. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/punjab-vigilance-department-arrests-former-deputy-chief-minister-op-soni-4192087 ↩︎

  13. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/pcs-officer-wife-arrested-guava-compensation-case-8594408/ ↩︎

  14. https://royalpatiala.in/vigilance-arrests-former-pcs-officers-son-in-multi-crore-guava-scam-iass-spouse-still-at-large ↩︎ ↩︎

  15. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/punjab-vigilance-bureau-arrests-faridkot-dsp-in-rs-20-lakh-bribery-case-527126 ↩︎

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