26-09-2023 : A lookout circular (LOC) has been officially issued against Manpreet Singh Badal, the former Finance Minister of Punjab, in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities concerning the purchase of a property in Bathinda. This development was confirmed by a high-ranking official from the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Tuesday.
The LOC, a vital legal instrument, was put into effect on Monday following a series of raids conducted by teams from the Punjab Vigilance Bureau at Manpreet Badal’s residence in Muktsar, with the intention of apprehending him.
The allegations at the center of this investigation pertain to purported misconduct in the acquisition of a property located in Bathinda. Alongside Manpreet Badal, the case implicates five other individuals, including Bikramjit Shergill, former Chief Administrator of the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA), as well as Rajiv Kumar, Amandeep Singh, Vikas Arora, and Pankaj.
Notably, Rajiv Kumar, Amandeep Singh, and Vikas Arora have already been taken into custody as part of the ongoing investigation.
The origins of this legal saga trace back to a complaint filed in 2021 by former MLA Sarup Chand Singla, who alleged irregularities in the property’s purchase—a prime location in Bathinda. Sarup Chand Singla, a prominent BJP leader who had previously been affiliated with the Shiromani Akali Dal, claimed that Manpreet Badal, during his tenure as a minister in the previous Congress administration, had abused his position to convert two commercial plots into a residential plot for his personal benefit.
The charges against Manpreet Badal encompass various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including sections 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery), as well as provisions outlined in the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The investigation has unveiled alleged instances where Manpreet Badal purportedly leveraged his position to acquire two plots measuring a total of 1,560 square yards in Model Town phase-1, Bathinda. These actions are said to have incurred significant financial losses to the state exchequer. The vigilance bureau’s findings suggest that Badal may have colluded with officials from the BDA and employed deceptive tactics to obstruct public participation during the plot bidding process in 2021, which involved the uploading of fraudulent maps.