Supreme Court Grants Bail To Congress Leader & Ex-Punjab Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot In PMLA Case

The Supreme Court Today (April 15) granted bail to Congress leader Sadhu Singh Dharamsot in a major money laundering case. He was earlier called the kingpin of the ‘Forest Scam’ by the High Court.

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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India today granted bail to Congress leader and former Punjab Forest Minister, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, in a case related to money laundering.

This decision came on Tuesday, giving a major relief to Dharamsot after he spent more than a year in jail.

A bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Vinod Chandran heard the matter and finally allowed bail to Dharamsot, who had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

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The legal troubles for Sadhu Singh Dharamsot began back in 2022. At that time, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau filed a case against him, accusing him of taking bribes. After that, the Enforcement Directorate registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against him.

Later, on January 15, 2024, the ED arrested him under money laundering charges.

During the early part of 2024, Dharamsot was given interim bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in May 2024. This temporary bail was granted so that he could take part in campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections that were happening at the time.

However, when Dharamsot applied for regular bail, the High Court did not allow it. In September 2024, the High Court rejected his regular bail application. While doing so, the court gave strong remarks against him and referred to him as the main player in the alleged corruption case.

The High Court had said,

“Prima facie, it is evident that petitioner (while holding the Office of Forest Minister) collected huge proceeds of crime and laundered the same while projecting as untainted money through various modes. Apart that, petitioner accumulated disproportionate assets to the tune of Rs 6,39,18,292.39/- as proceeds of crime and has utilized the same, projecting as untainted money.”

After his plea was rejected in the High Court, Dharamsot decided to approach the Supreme Court to challenge the decision and seek justice.

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In the Supreme Court, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, along with advocates Aman Panwar and Sumer Boparai, appeared on behalf of Dharamsot.

They argued his case in front of the top court, which finally granted him bail, bringing him temporary relief from the legal battle he is facing.

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This decision is significant in the ongoing political and legal developments in Punjab, especially related to alleged corruption during past governments.

The case will continue, but for now, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot is out on bail after over a year of being in jail.