4 MLAs of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which came to power in 2022 by promising to end corruption in Punjab, had to go to jail in corruption cases. However, in the tenure of 3 years, 3 MLAs were caught by the government itself. At the same time, the fourth MLA was caught by the central investigation agency ED.
Not only this, 2 ministers had to be ousted from the post due to the controversy after the audio-video went viral on social media. However, one minister got a clean chit from the court, due to which he was able to save his chair.
Read about 4 MLAs trapped in corruption cases…
1- First of all, the Health Minister was sent behind bars
In 2022, Aam Aadmi Party took over the reins of Punjab for the first time. The issue of corruption was very resonant in this election. This was the reason that the government had to put its then Health Minister Dr. Vijay Singla behind bars. He was arrested on corruption charges. CM Mann himself had said that Singla was demanding 1% commission in exchange for every work and tender in the health department.
Singla got bail on 8 July 2022. After that he remained active in the constituency and continued to participate in government programs. Even Dr. Vijay Singla was appointed a member in the committees constituted by the Assembly four days ago.
2- MLA caught demanding share in grant
After this, AAP MLA Amit Ratan Kotfatta from Bathinda Rural Assembly seat of Punjab was arrested by the Vigilance on charges of corruption. He was accused of demanding a bribe of Rs 4 lakh from Sarpanch Seema Rani of village Ghudda through his PA Resham Singh, so that a government grant of Rs 25 lakh could be released.
On 22 May 2023, he got regular bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, but the corruption case against him is still pending in the court.
3- ED nabs those who claimed to take a salary of one rupee
In the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, Prof. Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra won from Amargarh seat. During the election campaign, he had talked about taking only one rupee salary. But, the central agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him on 6 November 2023 in a bank fraud case of Rs 41 crore. This case is related to Tara Corporation Limited.
After the arrest, he was kept in Patiala Central Jail. His bail plea was first rejected in the Mohali court, after which he approached the High Court. He had to stay in jail for about 6 months. The Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him regular bail in May 2024.
4- Corruption game was going on in the name of false notices
Jalandhar Central MLA Raman Arora has been arrested by Vigilance on 23 May 2025. It is alleged that Raman Arora used to send false notices to innocent people through the officers of Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. Then he used to get those notices quashed by taking money.
They used to threaten people in the name of illegal construction and issue notices, then collect money to suppress files. The entire ‘recovery network’ that came to light in the investigation used to collect money at the behest of the MLA, files were ‘settled’. Many objectionable documents have been recovered in the vigilance investigation.
These 2 AAP MLAs lost ministerial posts…
1. Sarari lost his chair due to audio clip
Fauja Singh Sarari is the MLA of Guru Har Sahai constituency of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). On 5 July 2022, he was inducted as a cabinet minister in the Punjab government. He was given charge of Food Processing, Horticulture, Defense Services Welfare and Freedom Fighters departments. But in September of the same year, an audio clip surfaced, in which Fauja Singh Sarari and one of his associates were allegedly discussing a plan to recover money from contractors.
After this clip went viral, opposition parties demanded his resignation. Although Sarari rejected these allegations and called the audio fake, the party issued him a show cause notice. Eventually Fauja Singh himself resigned from the post of minister citing personal reasons.
2- Balkar Singh
AAP MLA Balkar Singh, who was the DCP of Punjab Police, represents the Kartarpur assembly constituency. He was appointed a cabinet minister in the Punjab government on 31 May 2023. He was entrusted with the responsibility of the local bodies department. But in June 2024, an objectionable video of Balkar Singh went viral on social media, in which he was accused of inappropriate behavior. After this incident, opposition parties demanded his resignation. The complaint of this matter had reached the then Governor Banwari Lal Purohit. After which he was discharged from the cabinet.
Surrounded by controversies but did not lose the post…
In Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Jalandhar Central, Raman Arora has been arrested by the Vigilance. The team has taken him with them. The vigilance team raided Arora’s house in Ashok Nagar at 8.45 am. When the vigilance team arrived, MLA Arora was going somewhere. Read full news
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Lalchand Kataruchak in the Punjab government was accused of sexual harassment in May 2023. However, he did not lose his post. In fact, an alleged objectionable video also surfaced in this case. When the matter escalated, the then Governor Banwarilal Purohit asked Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to take action.
