Chargesheet filed against Amarinder in City Centre scam

Ludhiana, Dec 12 (UNI) The Punjab Vigilance Bureau today filed a chargesheet against former chief minister Amarinder Singh and 13 others in the multi-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam.

The chargesheet was filed through the public procesutor in the court of sessions Judge G K Rai.

According to Vigilance Bureau sources, besides Capt Singh, the others named in the scam include his son Raninder Singh, former minister Chaudhary Jagjiit Singh, former Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) Chairman Paramjit Singh Sibia, besides officials of Today Homes and Infrastructure that executed the project along with LIT.

The case in the scam was registered at Ludhiana in March by the Vigilance Bureau under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The probe in the scam was ordered by Capt Singh himself in November last year when the then opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) alleged that crores had exchanged hands in the award of the City Centre contract to Today Homes, thereby causing huge losses to the state exchequer. The Vigilance Bureau had presented its report to Capt Singh in February this year, suggesting that a further probe was required in the case.

After the SAD-BJP came to power in March, the Vigilance Bureau registered the case against Capt Singh and others. The Bureau arrested the officials of Today Homes who were named in the FIR.

Capt Singh, Choudhary Jagjit Singh and Raninder Singh and a few others named in the case moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court and secured pre-arrest bail.

UNI