a day ago
SDM seeks anticipatory bail after steno's arrest
Ludhiana: SDM (Raikot) Gurbir Singh Kohli filed an anticipatory bail plea following the arrest of his stenographer in a corruption case.
He alleged political pressure from MLA (Raikot) Hakam Singh Thekedar and his personal assistant to issue illegal orders in revenue matters.
The bail application, filed in the court of Special Judge Amrinder Singh Shergill, was dismissed as premature.
The court noted that the SDM has not yet been named as an accused and granted him the liberty to seek legal remedy if and when that happens.
The case dates back to June 13 arrest of Jatinder Singh, the stenographer posted in the SDM's office, who was caught accepting a bribe of over Rs 24 lakh. The arrest followed a complaint by a resident of Sukhana village, who alleged that both the SDM and his stenographer were extorting money in exchange for official work.
In his bail plea, the SDM claimed that he was being falsely implicated for resisting political interference.
He alleged that since his posting as SDM, Raikot on April 16, 2025 (and during his previous tenure from October, 2021 to October, 2023), the MLA and his aide repeatedly pressured him—through personal meetings, phone calls, and WhatsApp messages—to pass unlawful orders. He cited a specific instance where he refused to cancel a sale deed that lacked legal merit, which allegedly angered the MLA and his assistant.
According to the SDM, the refusal led to a conspiracy to frame him in the bribery case. Raikot MLA Hakam Singh Thekedar has strongly denied the allegations, saying that he never asked the SDM to engage in any illegal activity.
