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City Centre Scam
Captain’s crony Chaudhary Jagjit appears before VB
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

He helped illegal bidding

The FIR registered into the scam on March 23 mentions his role in detail. The FIR states that Jagjeet Singh, the then minister for local government, had revoked the order of principal secretary, Local Government, who had annulled the (objectionable) proceedings conducted by the chairman LIT (in favour of construction companies). The FIR stated that this facilitated the entire illegal bidding process done by LIT chairman P S Sibia.

It further accuses the former minister of giving false and flimsy grounds to pass this order. The FIR states that he did not take any action on the pre-bid illegalities and irregularity indulged into by Sibia, which resulted in the wrongful loss to the state exchequer and wrongful gain to Today Homes.

Ludhiana, May 22
Two months after the state Vigilance Bureau (VB) booked 19 persons, including the former CM, in the multi-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, former local bodies minister, became the first of the several high-profile accused to present himself for questioning before the VB officials today.

He appeared at the Vigilance Bureau (VB) office here near Lakkar Bridge with his lawyer and a few supporters but was not taken for questioning, as the investigating officer was not present.

His appearance was duly registered and he has been told to wait till vigilance summons him.

The investigating officer, SSP Kanwarjit Singh, is reportedly away to Delhi in connection with the case.

Even as the list of alleged beneficiaries in the City Centre scam has expanded with new suspects, mainly being the family members and relatives of former CM Capt Amarinder Singh, the vigilance is yet to question or arrest any of the VIPs or the VVIPs accused of accepting the kickbacks.

Sources said Chaudhary Jagjit Singh had got a bail against the arrest from the high court. However, the bail was conditional and he was asked to join investigations.

He is accused of being one of the beneficiaries in the multi-crore scam and not taking the required preventive action as per his position of a local bodies minister under which the Ludhiana Improvement Trust falls. He has been further accused of buying property near Kharar from the ill-gotten money.