Senior Punjab civil servant caught accepting bribe

Vijay Kumar Janjua a senior IAS officer of the 1989 batch of the Indian Administrative Service was arrested from his Udyog Bhawan office by Punjab Vigilance Bureau. Janjua is Director, industries and was allegedly caught accepting a bribe of Rs2 lakh from a Ludhiana-based industrialist for facilitating the allotment of a vacant plot adjoining his existing unit.

The civil servant has been charged under Sections 7 and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Immediately following his arrest, a team of the Vigilance Bureau led by joint director Rajinder Singh, searched Janjua's residence in Phase VII of Mohali. He was then taken to the hospital for medical examination.

The complainant, proprietor of Mishra Boilers had, since 2001 been trying to purchase government land adjacent to his factory, was in accordance with the government policy that stipulates such land be offered at market price.

However, he had been consistently denied it when finally the proprietor struck a deal with Janjua for Rs5 lakh in return for sale of the land and a part payment of Rs2 lakh to be made to the director in his office.

The industrialist intimated the deal to the Vigilance Bureau, Ludhiana, and a trap was laid. When the industrialist visited the office of the civil servant he handed over the money as per the deal, however within seconds the Vigilance Bureau officers swooped on the scene and arrested Janjua who was caught with marked currency notes in his possession.