Production warrant against multi-crore scam accused

Chandigarh, February 17

A special CBI court here today issued production warrant against accused Ajay Chandra, director, Unitech Limited, in the multi-crore theme-cum-amusement park project scam.

Special CBI judge, Dr Sushil Kumar Garg, also issued directions to the Tihar Jail Superintendent to explain as to why accused Ajay Chandra was not produced in the court today. The court has now fixed February 24 as the next date of hearing.

Except Ajay Chandra, all accused, including the then Adviser to Administrator Lalit Sharma, then Home Secretary Krishan Mohan and then Director Tourism Vivek Attray presented themselves in the court. The case was registered under Sections 120-B, 420 and 201, IPC, and Section 13(1)d and 13(2), Prevention of Corruption Act. On the basis of an investigation conducted by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in 2008 in connection with the matter related to 73.65 acre for the theme-cum-amusement park, they were booked for corruption, abuse of power and criminal conspiracy for their involvement in the multi-crore scam. However, in all three closure reports, the CBI gave a clean chit to three former senior officials of the UT Administration. The theme park project was the first of the four controversial mega projects, others being Filmcity, Medicity and Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park, Phase III, which ran into rough weather. Based on the probes conducted by the CVC and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the CBI had registered a criminal case against the then top bureaucrats of Chandigarh. — TNS