After findings that revealed how “in connivance” with the Municipal Corporation (MC), Chandigarh officials, the parking firms paid less stamp duty causing loss to the government and “wrongful gains to themselves,” the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case of fraud and criminal conspiracy against “unknown public servants” and individuals who were then parking firm directors and proprietors. It was last year that the CBI had seized the entire record of the parking case after bungling in the parking matter came to the fore. “It has been decided by the competent authority, CBI to register a regular case under Section 120-B read with section 420-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Ram Sunder Prasad Singh, sole proprietor of M/s Ram Sunder Prasad Singh; M/s Pashchatya entertainment private limited through its director Sanjay Sharma, Vikas Pandey (authorised signatory of Pashchatya); and unknown public servants for investigation. Further the role of sub registrar may also be examined,” it was stated by the CBI sleuths. They further said that the allegations mentioned in the complaint and substantiated during enquiry prima-facie, discloses commission of offences against these people. “As per letter of intent dated January 16, 2020 and January 23, 2020 issued to Ram Sundar Prasad Singh, the average annual amount was Rs 5,01,03,001 for the operation and management of 32 paid Parking of Zone-l in Chandigarh and Rs 10,02,060 should be paid as stamp duty in the office of sub registrar for executing the deed but the same was not paid. Similarly, Rs 11,02,222 should have been paid as stamp duty by M/s Pashchatya Entertainment Pvt. Ltd but the same was also not paid,” the findings said. The investigating officer stated that the stamp duty that was supposed to be paid for the execution of lease/ license deed in the office of Sub registrar UT Chandigarh by both the parking contractors that is Prasad (32 parking lots) and Paschataya entertainment (57 parking lots) for operation and management was supposed to be Rs 21,05,282, instead of this only 7.01 lakh was paid causing loss to the revenue authorities. The role of then MC's additional commissioner Satish Jain is also under scanner. The CBI in its findings also mentioned how Jain signed both the lease deeds in the Office of MC, Chandigarh without taking approval from the “competent authority and legal vetting on file through proper channel”. “He was well aware about the audit paras wherein the amount of stamp duty was clearly mentioned but he filed the audit para reply without any action,” the inquiry findings further said. During preliminary investigations, a joint surprise check was conducted on April 5, 2023 on the basis of “a reliable source” that the civic body executed two agreements with the two firms. The findings by the investigating officer stated that “the verification revealed that M/s Paschataya and M/s Ram Sunder in connivance with the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh officials paid less stamp duty while executing the respective lease/license deed in the office of Sub Registrar Chandigarh causing loss to the revenue authorities and wrongful gain to themselves.” After seizing the record last year and scrutinizing it, the CBI first registered a preliminary inquiry in September 2023 against Sunder and Sharma. During the course of inquiry, the CBI found that the civic body had constituted a committee for deciding the terms and conditions of tender documents for operation and management of 89 paid parking areas in Zone-l and Zone-Il. A technical committee for the purpose of scrutiny of technical bid (documents) and financial bid, uploaded by the interested parties regarding operation and management of 89 paid parkings in two zones of Chandigarh, was constituted. According to the engineering branch of the MC, five parties participated in bid for operation and management of 89 paid parkings and documents of all the agencies were found in order. “M/s Pashchatya Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. & Ram Sundar Prasad Singh were the two successful/ highest/ H-1 bidder in the e-tender process as per the information provided by the engineering branch of Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh. Both the contractors were issued letter of intent and allotment letter without executing the licence/ lease deed. The license/ lease deed was executed around 1.5 years later after the issuance of allotment letter through Monil Chauhan, Superintendent (Parking), on the direction of Satish Kumar Jain” the preliminary inquiry said. “As per both the contractors, the lease deeds were prepared by Chauhan and handed over to them for executing the same. She was well aware about the amount of lease deed as Superintendent Grade-ll. It was her duty to check the amount of average annual lease on which the stamp duty was to be paid in the office of Sub Registrar,” the initial enquiry said. Jain told The Indian Express said that he “would not like to say anything on this matter” as he is not aware of the findings.
