EXCLUSIVE: Channi skips ED summons in illegal mining case; agency to issue fresh notice

In a major development, the Enforcement Directorate issued summons to former Punjab chief minister and Congress leader Charanjit Singh Channi to appear before the ED’s zonal unit in Jalandhar on Monday for questioning in the money laundering charges against his nephew, Bhupinder Singh Honey, in an illegal sand mining case in Punjab .

But Channi skipped the summons and did not appear before the agency on Monday. The ED is now planning to issue him fresh summons, sources told THE WEEK.

Honey is an accused in the illegal sand mining case and was arrested by the ED on February 3. His arrest generated a lot of political heat, coming ahead of the Assembly polls in Punjab where Channi was the CM face of the Congress and the party received serious drubbing.  

The ED summons to Channi bring fresh trouble for the party which may once again have to defend its senior leader after its poll debacle in Punjab. For the opposition, the allegations will add to the ammunition against the ousted party and its leaders.

According to sources, Channi is likely to be asked to explain his nephew’s alleged visits to the CM's office, transfer of some state government employees and funds to the tune of Rs 10 crore allegedly received  by Honey to facilitate mine related works through his ''political'' connections. 

According to evidence gathered by the ED,  at one instance, Honey is learnt to have identified himself as a ''politician'' in an entry pass to the CM's office.

In its raids on January 18 against Honey and others, the ED had seized around Rs 7.9 crore cash from his premises and another Rs 2 crore cash from a person linked to him identified as Sandeep Kumar.