Guava orchard compensation scam: Naib Tehsildar gives up in VB police station, held

Tribune News Service

Mohali, August 5

The Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Naib Tehsildar Jaskaran Singh Brar, co-accused in the alleged multi-crore guava orchard compensation scam in Mohali after he surrendered before it.

A VB spokesperson said Brar was nominated as an accused after it came to light during an investigation that he allegedly connived with the main accused in releasing wrongful compensation to illegal beneficiaries. Before the release of payments, it had surfaced on record that names and shares of some landowners were not in accordance with the revenue records and some names have been added to the list of beneficiaries wrongly without any basis as they had purchased land after the issuance of notification under Section 11 of the Land Aquisition Act.

Moreover, the Naib Tehsildar had ignored tampered Khasra girdawari records and committed undue haste in recommending the release of payments by dealing with the noting file thrice in a single day.

The spokesperson informed that initially, Brar was granted interim relief with directions to join investigation by the Punjab and Haryana High Court vide its order dated December 11 last year. Subsequently, he joined the investigation but remained non-cooperative with the bureau. Later, the VB had opposed his bail application and eventually filed two replies/ affidavits against his petition and rejoinder. After numerous hearings and detailed arguments, the High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail petition on March 20 this year.

Thereafter, Brar remained absconding and filed special leave petition seeking anticipatory bail in the Supreme Court of India. After hearing about the role of the accused in the case and his conduct of remaining evasive of his official duties by managing various kinds of leaves to avoid the process of law, the Supreme Court had also dismissed his anticipatory bail petition and further directed him to surrender before the VB investigation officer within one week.

The accused surrendered at the VB police station, Flying Squad, Punjab, in Mohali and was arrested for further investigation in the case.