Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday refused to grant bail to former chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC), Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu aka Ravi Sidhu.
While admitting his appeal against his conviction by the trial court, the High Court did not allow him any relief. Sidhu was last month sentenced to six years imprisonment in a bribery case by a court in Punjab's Ropar town, 45 km from here. He was convicted of bribery in recruitment of Class-I officers in Punjab government.
The court had also imposed a penalty of Rs 150,000 on Sidhu. Sidhu was booked by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in March 2002 after a major controversy over PPSC selections being done by taking bribes. The journalist-turned-PPSC chairman was arrested by the vigilance bureau after he was caught taking a bribe of Rs 5 lakh. Raids at his residence and other places revealed that he had amassed wealth of over Rs 80 crore, the vigilance bureau had claimed. Over Rs 8.15 crore was found from his lockers in banks in Chandigarh.