More than three years after a Vigilance inquiry was registered against five persons — including three IAS officers and two ex-ministers — in the irrigation scam, Punjab Vigilance Bureau has stated that “no concrete evidence has come to light” regarding allegations against former Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal and the other bureaucrats.In its status report placed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court in compliance with the court’s earlier order, the Vigilance Bureau stated that the inquiry dated September 29, 2022, against Kaushal and others was registered solely on the basis of a disclosure statement made by accused Gurinder Singh on December 21, 2017, during investigation of an FIR.  It was registered for cheating, forgery and other offences on August 17, 2017, under Sections 406, 409, 420, 467, 471, 477-A and 120-B of the IPC and the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Vigilance Bureau’s Flying Squad-1 police station at Mohali.VB said no recovery of the amounts mentioned in the disclosure statement was made. It further noted that the disclosure statement did not form part of the challan in the FIR. According to VB, no other evidence came to light during the inquiry concerning the facts recorded in the disclosure statement.It added that the provisions of the Evidence Act were applicable only if recovery was successfully made from the accused in accordance with the disclosure statement. Without recovery, the disclose statement made by an accused during investigation carried no significanceFurthermore, the disclosure statement did not even form a part to the challan. “When a document is not a part of the challan and no recovery has been effected based on the said disclosure statement, there remains no ground or reason to conduct inquiry in the Vigilance inquiry registered on its basis. This apart, no other evidence came to light during the Vigilance inquiry conducted regarding facts recorded in the disclosure statement,” the status report said.VB also recorded that the disclosure statement did not specify any specific time, place, date, month or year in relation to the allegations. It said no witness had come forward regarding the alleged giving of bribes and that no other source of funds relating to the large sums mentioned in the disclosure statement had come to light.The report further stated that investigation of the FIR resulted in 16 challans — nine main and seven supplementary — against 32 accused, comprising 26 government employees and six private individuals. Prosecution sanctions obtained from the competent authorities had also been presented before the trial court.The report added that the suspects in the separate Vigilance inquiry included the Secretary/Chief Secretary of the Irrigation Department, the Irrigation Minister and the personal assistants of two suspected ministers. VB also examined the procedure followed for approval of estimates and tender documents, verification of works through measurement books, pre-audit of bills and release of payments to contractors.After completing the inquiry, VB stated: “As no concrete evidence has come to light regarding the allegations of the inquiry, it has been decided to file/conclude the inquiry and consign it to the record room”. The other officers are former Special Chief Secretary KBS Sidhu and ex-Irrigation Secretary Kahan Singh Pannu.