Patiala, July 23
Two touts of suspended PPSC Chairman Ravinderpal Singh Sidhu, Randhir Singh Dheera and Prem Sagar, who today recorded statements under Section 306 CrPC in a bid to turn government approvers against their former “boss”, have both implicated Sidhu in their statements claiming the latter had asked them to solicit bribes for him in return for jobs in the State Civil and Judicial Services besides other posts advertised by the PPSC.

Sources said Dheera disclosed in the statement recorded in the court of Additional Civil Judge Ranjit Kumar Jain that he was the first to get in contact with Sidhu when he became Chairman of the PPSC as he knew the latter when they will studying at Panjab University. Dheera said Sagar had come in contact with Sidhu through him.

The sources said Dheera disclosed that Sidhu had personally approached him late in 1997 to get candidates who could pay money to get selected in the PCS (Executive). He said it was following this that he formed a team of sub agents which included Sagar and others, including some of his Markfed colleagues. Dheera said among the first persons he came in contact was H.L. Bansal who introduced many candidates to him, including Deepak Gakhar, son of former colleague Subhash Gakhar who paid Rs 65 lakh and two brothers Jeewan Garg and Kamal Kumar Garg who paid Rs 60 and Rs 50 lakh, respectively.

Dheera said initially he used to take the money from prospective candidates and hand it over to Sidhu at his mother’s house in Chandigarh. He said however, when he started getting offers for selections to other services, including the PCS (Judicial), Deputy Superintendents of Police, Block and Panchayat Development Officers (BDPOs) he started accompanying the candidates to Chandigarh to hand over the money to the suspended Chairman and later even asked them to give the money themselves after the “deal” was finalised.

The sources said Dheera and Sagar in their respective statements which were held in camera stuck to implicating the PPSC Chairman besides revealing the names of candidates. The sources said both touts, however, refrained from naming any important political bigwig in their statements or any members of the judiciary. This could, however, not be confirmed.

Earlier in the day Sessions Judge S.N. Aggarwal had capped a three-day drama by directing Additional Civil Judge Ranjit Kumar Jain to record the statements of the accused. Earlier, the accused had submitted an application in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Paramjeet Singh requesting that they be allowed to record their statements under Section 306. The CJM had claimed that he did not have the power to record the statement and that it should be recorded in the trial court.

Following this public prosecutor Vijay K. Markan had argued on the basis of a Supreme Court judgement that the Sessions Judge could ask the CJM to record the statement of an accused and that the statement could be submitted to the trial court afterwards. Today the Sessions Judge directed that the statements be recorded by Mr Jain and their copies be submitted in his court by July 25. He said following this the court would decide whether the statements were sincere.