Mohali’s Bajwa builder arrested a day after HC rap

Bajwa remained in controversy after several cases were lodged against him for cheating by the state police.

Recently, Vigilance Bureau (VB) had booked Bajwa- the Managing Director of Bajwa developers, Deepak Kumar, Shampur, both employees of Bajwa, Manbir Singh, a notary, and Harbir Singh, a property dealer in another case of cheating and forgery. The accused were booked on the complaint of Sucha Singh, a resident of Raipur village.

On Wednesday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed Mohali realtor Jarnail Singh Bajwa of Bajwa Developers to furnish details of all immovable and liquid assets owned by him, either as a partner, director, or in an individual capacity. Justice Sandeep Moudgil had further instructed that the properties/assets be fully identified as per the Land Revenue Records maintained by the concerned authorities.

The HC had issued these directions while hearing a petition filed by Kuldeepak Mittal against the State of Punjab and other respondents. The petitioner had noted that while Bajwa’s bail had been cancelled by the high court on October 20, 2023, no action to arrest him had been taken so far.

During the resumed hearing, the HC had inquired about Bajwa’s whereabouts from his counsel, Senior Advocate PS Hundal, who had stated that the Supreme Court had stayed Bajwa’s arrest, so his personal appearance before
the court was not required. Hundal had requested 15 days for Bajwa to appear before the court. However, the court had found this excuse vague and lacking a solid basis, noting that Bajwa had been a habitual offender
undeserving of leniency.

During the proceedings, it had been revealed that Bajwa had been monitoring the court proceedings via video conferencing. Upon questioning, Bajwa had pleaded guilty, claiming he had not intentionally evaded court directions but had been occupied with managing his affairs and arranging funds to settle disputes. He had assured the court he would appear in person when directed.

The DGP of Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, had assured the HC that steps would be taken to conclude the pending investigations against Bajwa in a time-bound manner. The HC had also noted that Bajwa had been declared a proclaimed person by the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Kharar, on July 4, 2022, in a 2017 complaint case pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mohali. Despite this, Bajwa had not participated in the trial proceedings.

The court had criticized Bajwa’s conduct, pointing out that he had been involved in 53 FIRs, which had reflected his disregard for the law. However, based on assurances from the Advocate General of Punjab and the DGP, the HC had directed the state to file a comprehensive response within a specified timeframe to ensure all pending investigations had been concluded.