Bail for 3 ex-IAS officers in 2010 theme park case

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, January 28

The Special CBI Court today granted regular bail to three former IAS officers in the amusement-cum-theme park project case on furnishing bail bonds of Rs 1 lakh each.

The court issued fresh summons to Unitech Ltd director Ajay Chandra for February 5.

According to the prosecution, RTI activist Vivek Aditya had complained to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in 2009 about alleged financial irregularities in the amusement-cum-theme park at Sarangpur. Later, the case was transferred to the CBI. The CVC, too, submitted a report to the CBI, highlighting its crucial findings.

On October 4, 2010, the CBI registered an FIR against three IAS officers — Lalit Sharma, the then UT Adviser, Krishan Mohan, the then UT Home Secretary, and Vivek Atray, the then Director, Tourism, — and Unitech Ltd director Ajay Chandra for corruption, abuse of power and criminal conspiracy.

It was alleged that the former senior officers of the Chandigarh Administration, in connivance with Unitech, indulged in a “criminal conspiracy” and awarded 73.65 acres in Sarangpur to the firm for Rs 5.5 crore fixed annual licence fee and on 1.1 per cent annual revenue-sharing basis. It was alleged that the Administration ignored financial rules while inviting tenders and short-listing companies and that these officers had allegedly “ignored” the highest bidder, DLF. However, the project has since been scrapped.

On January 6 this year, the Special CBI Court had rejected the third closure report of the investigating agency and issued summons to the accused under Sections 420 (cheating), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the IPC and Section 13(1)d read with Section 13(2) (criminal misconduct by a public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. However, the summons could not be served on them. Fresh summons for January 28 were later served on them.