In Punjab, the police have taken action in a case of embezzlement and desecration of 328 sacred copies of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. The police have arrested Satinder Singh Kohli, the former internal auditor of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and a close aide of Sukhbir Badal. The case has been in the news since 2020, when an inquiry committee formed by the Akal Takht exposed his negligence.
Punjab Police recently registered an FIR, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has also questioned the SGPC in the matter.
Since 2009, the SGPC had been paying ₹3.5 lakh (about $3.5 million) monthly to SS Kohli & Associates for internal audit, computerization of accounts and control system.
Former cabinet minister and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that Kohli was arrested from a hotel in Chandigarh. He is considered the main accused in the entire case. This is the first major arrest in this sensitive case. All the accused involved in this case will be arrested soon.
Kohli's company accused of embezzlement
The investigation report of the Akal Takht-appointed committee found that SS Kohli & Associates did only one job and received payment for four. This led to the failure to stop the embezzlement of the holy idols. In 2020, the SGPC terminated his services and passed a resolution to recover 75% of the payment.
Links with Sukhbir Badal
Kohli is believed to be a close chartered accountant of Sukhbir Singh Badal, who handles his personal and SGPC accounts. In 2003, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had issued arrest warrants against him on charges of money laundering related to the Badal family.
FIR registered against 16 people, SIT formed
AAP General Secretary Baltej Pannu said that when the High Court recently disposed of a petition regarding the disappearance of 328 holy idols, the court ordered an investigation into the matter. Following this, the Punjab Police registered an FIR against 16 people. An SIT was formed.
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