IAS officer Sanjay Popli has much to explain: Punjab and Haryana High Court

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 31

The enormity of wealth and valuables recovered at the instance of 2008-batch IAS officer Sanjay Popli “goes a long way to show that he would have much to explain”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asserted, while turning down his regular bail petition in a corruption case.

The order by Justice Gurvinder Singh Gill, available today, adds the Bench has also been informed that the police have registered a separate case against him pertaining to the accumulation of disproportionate assets, which is still under investigation.

Justice Gill added it was not safe to release the petitioner on bail at the current stage as he might tamper with/destroy/conceal material evidence, which the investigating agency was still to lay hands on.

This, Justice Gill added, was in view of the existing position, particularly the extent of gold and valuables recovered at his instance, and the fact that the investigation in the other case registered on August 6, 2022, in Mohali, pertaining to allegations of amassing wealth disproportionate to his sources of income was still incomplete.

The prosecution case was that Popli, during the course of investigation, disclosed he had kept concealed valuables and Rs 3.5 lakh cash in a store room in his house and could get the same recovered. Pursuant to the statement, Popli got, among other things, nine gold bricks of 1 kg each, 49 gold biscuits, 12 gold coins and three silver bricks and 18 silver coins.

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