The simplest method was to embellish a bribe-giver's answer papers or have evaluators mark them very leniently.

H.S. BRAR
Former chief minister
CREATOR: In his last months in office, Brar gave Sidhu the PPSC job. He was impressed by sycophantic articles and, it is said, a promise that Sidhu would marry his daughter.

For VIP candidates, Sidhu ran a "home delivery" scheme. He leaked the question papers and won over powerful parents.

P.S. BADAL
Former chief minister
PRESERVER: Despite being a Congress appointee, Sidhu prospered in the Akali regime. He bought peace by apparently promising to "help" Badal's associates.

Corrupt candidates were allowed to "write" papers at the residence of his mother or touts like Jagman.

The PPSC has six members. Sidhu got a majority of them to change the rules of procedure and replace the word "commission" with "chairman". This gave him near-dictatorial powers though it was only quasi-legal. He won over other members by "accommodating" their candidates. An IAS officer who became a PPSC member was obligated to Sidhu ever since his son was taken into the PCS by the chairman in 1999. Two other members found their wards getting jobs as college lecturers.

At the interview, Sidhu browbeat his co-panelists and unilaterally gave a favoured candidate very high marks.

Depending on how senior and "lucrative" a post was, Sidhu fixed its price. A DSP's job went for Rs 75 lakh. A PCS appointment for Rs 60-70 lakh. A DSP (jails) post for Rs 40 lakh. A BDO had to pay Rs 30 lakh. A government employee seeking nomination to the PCS paid Rs 35 lakh.

Sidhu is estimated at being worth Rs 100 crore. So far, Rs 27 crore has been identified. While share certificates worth Rs 96 lakh and Rs 8.16 crore in cash have been recovered from him or his associates, there is no account of what is overseas. Sidhu is known to have substantial investments abroad. His mansion in Kasauli (below) is valued at Rs 1.75 crore and his Chandigarh house (top) at Rs 1.48 crore. He has flats in Vasant Vihar, Delhi (Rs 1.75 crore), Gurgaon (Rs 35 lakh), a shop in Ludhiana (Rs 93 lakh), a farm in Chandigarh (Rs 1 crore), land in Solan (Rs 40 lakh).

5 THE MAN'S LEGACY

In five-and-a-half years, Sidhu recruited over 4,000 people into government service. Of these, the 639 most recent appointments had not been notified and have just been annulled. Exactly who among the 3,500 others bribed his or her way into a job is impossible to tell. Obviously those who paid their way into government jobs are going to try and recoup their investment. Corruption has been institutionalised.