In a major development in Rs 1,144-crore alleged scam pertaining to Ludhiana City Centre in which Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his son Raninder Singh are among the main accused, former SSP (vigilance) Ludhiana Kanwarjit Singh Sandhu, who was the main investigating officer and complainant in the case, filed a petition in the court Tuesday alleging he was being “threatened” to change his stand in Captain’s favour. In a petition filed in the court of sessions judge Gurbir Singh through his advocate (copy with The Indian Express), the former SSP has pleaded that before accepting the cancellation report filed by the vigilance, the court should hear him out as he is “privy to certain important facts” which he wants to bring to notice of the court and also that there was a threat to his “life and liberty”. Sandhu’s application will come up for hearing Wednesday (July 18), said his advocate Vijay Mahendru. Sandhu retired from police service in 2010. Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, “I am being pressed to take a stand against my own investigation. When we had filed FIR against Captain Amarinder Singh and others in 2007, it was purely based on facts that came out during investigation. I am being threatened through several sources which I would disclose in court only as matter is sub judice.” Sandhu further alleges in his petition that Badals and Captain are hand-in-glove and that cancellation report in Ludhiana City Centre “scam” had also been filed under this pact only. “It is a classic case of how some persons holding the highest post of chief minister are out to loot public money. They are now cancelling cases against each other. I am being threatened that I will be implicated in false cases if I do not accept cancellation report filed in Captain’s favour. One of my colleagues who assisted me in probe then has already been implicated in a case,” said Sandhu. In his petition, Sandhu has further submitted, “From various sources, I am being pressured that when I receive notice about the cancellation of the case, I should help in getting the cancellation of this case. However, I clearly refused. How can I accept a position against my own investigation and evidence brought on the file. As a result, I am being threatened to be involved in false criminal cases.” “Both Captain and Badals, in joining hands, are out to scuttle judicial process by diluting the cases of corruption involving thousands of crores of rupees. Not only this, they are blatantly misusing their executive power to threaten and intimidate public servants who in their due process of duty had investigated the cases against them and unearthed criminal conspiracy of corruption bribery and amassing wealth. Captain Amarinder Singh is chief minister of Punjab and department of home and prosecution is under him and there is clear conflict of interest as he himself is accused in this case,” says the ex-SSP’s petition. Sandhu, in his petition, has also written about Surjit Singh Grewal, former SP (vigilance) Ludhiana, who was booked in disproportionate assets case recently. “He was tortured by third degree method in police custody at Patiala, apart from being humiliated by other inhuman methods,” says Sandhu in his petition. What is the case? On August 19, 2017, the vigilance bureau, overruling its own initial inquiry report in the matter, filed closure report in the court claiming there “was no scam at all” and that “no proof has been found against the accused including Captain Amarinder Singh, his son Raninder Singh, son in law Raminder Singh and 33 others following a re-investigation”. They are booked for cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery under several sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) in an FIR filed on March 23, 2007. The Indian Express had earlier reported that in the 77-page cancellation report, the vigilance said “CM Captain Amarinder Singh never had any ill-intention in the execution of the project”. “All allegations are just fictional (kalpanik) and doubtful (sambhavit),” the report said. The FIR in the case was filed in 2007, during SAD-BJP rule. It was alleged that during Captain’s first stint as the CM, a private company Today Homes was allegedly given the undue benefits of Rs 1,144 crore for construction of Ludhiana City Centre. The project site on Pakhowal road of Ludhiana is currently in ruins where proposal was to build malls, multiplex, helipad, residential towers etc way back in 2005-06.
