Punjab: Guava orchard case returns to haunt high-profile officials

Tribune News Service

Gaurav Kanthwal

Mohali, March 27

It is ironical that the case which the state government pursued in the name of rooting out past corruption has come back to haunt high-profile officials in the present government.

Twenty-one arrests in the guava orchard scam have been made wherein compensation worth Rs 137 crore was reportedly wrongfully claimed in lieu of the land acquired by Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) at Bakarpur village in Mohali.

There are around 100 beneficiaries involving nearly 200 acres. The Vigilance Bureau had registered a case involving revenue and horticulture officials and private persons for receiving compensation on the basis of forged documents for the land acquired by GMADA at Bakarpur and adjoining villages between 2016 and 2020.

A case of cheating, criminal conspiracy and under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered at the Vigilance Bureau police station, Flying Squad-1, at Mohali on May 2, 2023.

According to the Vigilance Bureau, Bhupinder Singh, a resident of Bakarpur and a milkman-turned-property dealer, in connivance with employees of GMADA, Revenue and Horticulture Department, along with his colleagues including Mukesh Jindal and Vikas Bhandari, started planting guava orchards on agricultural land by getting land on general power of attorneys.

The accused reportedly prepared a fake girdawari register in 2019 in collusion with halqa patwari Bachitar Singh in which they allegedly obtained compensation worth crores of rupees illegally by showing that they owned guava orchards on their land since 2016.

During the probe, it was reportedly found that the main accused, Bhupinder Singh, had taken compensation of around Rs 24 crore for guava plantations for himself and his family. Mukesh Jindal, a resident of Bathinda, took compensation of about Rs 20 crore.

The Vigilance Bureau filed the chargesheet against the five accused in a Mohali court on July 29, 2023. The first challan in the case was submitted against Bhupinder Singh, Binder Singh, Vishal Bhandari, Bacchitter Singh Patwari and Mukesh Jindal.

Horticultural Development Officer Jaspreet Singh Sidhu, who was then posted at Kharar and Dera Bassi, was the last arrest made in the case on January 30, 2024. The Vigilance Bureau report includes about 6,000 pages of documentary record to be testified by 33 witnesses in the case.

Some beneficiaries were given anticipatory bail in lieu of their offer to deposit 100 per cent of the compensation amount by the High Court.

Other accused also started availing parity. The Vigilance Bureau then approached the Supreme Court challenging the bail orders of the High Court. After considering the facts, the Supreme Court issued notices to the accused respondents. The High Court has ordered various accused beneficiaries to deposit a total amount of Rs 72.36 crore out of which Rs 43.72 crore was deposited till January 30.

Swoop down on Ferozepur DC’s house

In an early morning swoop down, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a raid at the residence of Ferozepur DC Rajesh Dhiman. According to information, when the ED team raided around 7 am, Dhiman was present at home. However, nobody got a whiff about the raid and the gate was closed for visitors and staff till the time the ED sleuths left the residence.

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