Family, supporters celebrate as Ashu gets bail in ED case

The news of getting bail in the ED money laundering case and quashing of an FIR against former food and civil supplies minister during the Congress regime Bharat Bhushan Ashu put a smile on the faces of his family members and supporters.

The supporters started gathering outside the Congress leader’s house for extending congratulations to his wife Mamta Ashu and cousin Narinder Sharma Kala.

Social media was abuzz with posts such as “Truth cannot be suppressed for long”, “Lion coming back”. Ashu’s supporters shared their old photographs with him on social media, expressing their happiness.

Ashu got a clean chit from the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday in the much-hyped food grain transportation and tender allotment scam. The court has quashed the FIR against the former minister and also granted bail to him in the ED case pending at Jalandhar.

Despite getting bail in the ED case, Ashu could not come out of the Nabha jail as the bail orders were not available, confirmed one of his close relative, Satwinder Sharma, who was present in the court during the proceedings.

Talking to The Tribune, Mamta Ashu said it had been proven that it was a case of political vendetta, which they were asserting from Day One of the registration of the FIR. During long police remand, neither any alleged bribe money nor any incriminating document was recovered from him. The entire case was based upon assumptions and presumptions without any evidence.

Moreover, the transportation policy was approved by the Council of Ministers, headed by the then Punjab CM. The policy was challenged in the HC by filing writ petitions and the same were dismissed. But surprisingly, the Vigilance Bureau had claimed that the policy was not valid, she said.

Besides, no loss to the state exchequer was caused with the change of policy. Instead, 17-18 per cent less amount was paid to transporters in comparison to previous years.

An FIR was registered against him in August 2022 by the VB. His bail application was declined in Septemeber 2022. Thereafter, he got bail from the HC after a long time. A chargesheet has already been filed against him in a local court.

He was arrested by the ED in money laundering case on August 1, 2024.