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Plot allotment case: After lookout notice, arrest warrant issued against Manpreet Badal
Vigilance bureau probe has found that Manpreet colluded with Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) officials and his close aides to buy two residential plots by alleged abuse of his then ministerial position and forgery
Troubles mounted for former Punjab finance minister and BJP leader Manpreet Badal, who has been booked in plot allotment case, after a Bathinda court issued an arrest warrant against him.
This came hours after state authorities issued a lookout circular (LOC) against the five-time legislator.
Taking cognisance of charges, including 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant) 467 (forging a document that pretends to be a valuable security) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) against Manpreet while he was a minister, chief judicial magistrate Daljit Kaur directed the police to arrest him and produce before the court. The court will now hear the matter on October 12.
Vigilance bureau probe has found that Manpreet colluded with Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) officials and his close aides to buy two residential plots by alleged abuse of his then ministerial position and forgery.
Police functionaries privy to the probe confirmed on Tuesday that the VB officials of Bathinda zone approached the court to get an arrest warrant for only Manpreet as the two remaining accused are government functionaries.
“One of the accused Bikramjit Singh Shergill is a Punjab civil service (PCS) officer, while Pankaj Kalia is a senior employee of Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA). They are yet to be arrested. For VB, getting custody of the former minister is crucial to take the case to a logical conclusion as a document-based probe says irregularities in plot allotment caused a financial loss to the state exchequer,” said an official requesting anonymity.
The third accused, Pankaj Arora, who was arrested on Monday, was produced in the court and sent to the police remand till September 28.
VB officials confirmed that a LOC was issued against Manpreet as it was suspected that the key accused may flee the country to evade the judicial process. It is learnt all airports have been alerted as Manpreet remains untraced for the third consecutive day.
“Vigilance teams have been conducting raids at different places in and outside Punjab since Sunday evening but his whereabouts remain a mystery,” said the official.
Hours after the registration of a criminal case against him, Badal withdrew his application for anticipatory bail on Tuesday.
Sukhdeep Singh Bhinder, who represented him in the Bathinda court, said that the five-time legislator will now explore all legal options, including approaching the Punjab and Haryana high court soon.
“The anticipatory bail plea was filed in the Bathinda court on September 22 as the VB had not registered any case and we were unaware of it. But as a first information report (FIR) was lodged on Sunday, we had to withdraw the application for pre-arrest as a procedure. Manpreet is exploring legal options available to him. The police investigation and subsequent registration of an FIR shows that it all was done with mala fide intentions. We will fight back in court,” said Bhinder.
The case was registered on a complaint by Saroop Chand Singla, former MLA of Bathinda city.
The VB said during the probe, it was found that Manpreet Singh Badal, during his tenure as finance minister between 2018 and 2021, used political pressure and influence to buy two plots measuring 1,560 square yards in Model Town Phase-1 Bathinda near the TV tower, causing a loss of lakhs of rupees to the state exchequer.
