Ludhiana city centre scam case hearing on Jan 5

Ludhiana, December 17 

A local court on Monday fixed January 5 as the next date for hearing Ludhiana city centre scam case which allegedly involves Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, his son and son-in-law, among others.

District and Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh will hear arguments on the reply filed by former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini here. 

In a plea on November 28, Saini had requested the court to make him a party in the case as he was the chief director of the vigilance bureau when an FIR was registered in this connection.

In his reply on Monday, Saini submitted that the state government was repeatedly changing its stand on who was the actual complainant in the case.

The former DGP further submitted that one of the accused (Amarinder Singh) was not only the chief executive of the state but also the minister in-charge of vigilance and prosecution departments when the irregularity was done.

"The respondent state is arguing in favour of and in defence of the accused. An extraordinary situation has been created here," he submitted in his reply.

His reply came after the state representing the vigilance bureau, on December 7, had submitted that Saini was "neither an informant, nor a complainant and has no locus standi to file the petition".

Earlier, District and Sessions Judge Gurbir Singh had dismissed pleas of MLA Simarjit Bains and former SSP of the vigilance bureau K S Sandhu to make them party in the case. 

They had opposed the closure report filed by the vigilance bureau that gave a clean chit to Amarinder Singh, his son and other accused in the case. 

The Rs 1,100 crore scam case, alleging that a private builder was favoured during Amarinder Singh's term as the chief minister in 2003, was filed in 2007 when the SAD-BJP coalition was in power. 

Overruling its 100-page charge sheet filed initially, the state vigilance bureau in August last year had filed a closure report in the case, saying a reinvestigation of the matter found nothing to substantiate the charges against Amarinder Singh, his son Raninder Singh, son-in-law Raminder Singh and 33 others. 

The case had been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. 

Though the charge sheet was filed earlier, the charges were yet to be framed against the accused.  

Touted as one of the biggest projects in the state, the Ludhiana city centre plan was rolled out in 2006. To be spread over 25 acres of land, the project proposed to have shopping malls, 12 multiplexes, residential apartments, helipad and parking slots. The project site on Pakhowal Road of Ludhiana is currently in ruins. - PTI