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Universal Group of Institutions, Lalru: ₹77-cr loan unpaid, PNB seeks possession of college campus
The bank has urged the court to depute a tehsildar or an advocate commissioner with police assistance to take over the mortgaged properties and hand them over to its authorised officer
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(Blurb) Default since 2021, bank informs Mohali court; next hearing on Oct 30
Punjab National Bank (PNB) has moved the court of the chief judicial magistrate in Mohali seeking possession of the Universal Group of Institutions campus in Ballopur village, Lalru, over an unpaid ₹77.29 crore loan since 2021. The next hearing is scheduled for October 30.
The bank’s application, filed under the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002, seeks physical possession of 12 properties mortgaged by the Universal Educational Society, which runs the campus. The assets include nearly 68 bighas and 14 biswas of shamlat (common) land belonging to the Ballopur gram panchayat. According to panchayat department records, this land was leased to the society in 2009 for a 33-year period. The bank has urged the court to depute a tehsildar or an advocate commissioner with police assistance to take over the mortgaged properties and hand them over to its authorised officer.
PNB listed its total outstanding dues at ₹77.29 crore as of July 31, 2026, stemming from a ₹38 crore loan sanctioned in 2017. The bank classified the loan account as a non-performing asset on December 15, 2021, and approached the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) in Chandigarh in January 2023 before initiating SARFAESI proceedings in the Mohali court.
ED inquiry underway
In a parallel development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched an inquiry under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) into the alleged fraudulent mortgaging of panchayat land linked to the society’s ₹42.2-crore loan account. The agency’s Jalandhar zonal office has sought comprehensive records from PNB, including the original account-opening forms, complete bank statements from inception to date, sanction terms, collateral security documentation and audit reports.
The alleged fraud came under scrutiny after complainant Resham Singh filed a petition with the Vigilance Bureau earlier this year. A subsequent inquiry conducted by the district development and panchayat officer (DDPO) flagged irregularities in the lease deed conditions and questioned how public land was pledged to secure private bank credit. The DDPO highlighted the involvement of former sarpanch Chhoti Devi and society president Gurpreet Singh. Based on the DDPO’s complaint, the police registered an FIR at the Dera Bassi police station in June, and an investigation remains underway.
All allegations are yet to be proven in court, and the society’s president has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Previous developments
The case surfaced after a probe revealed that a clause authorising loans against leased panchayat land had allegedly been inserted into the 2009 lease deed. In June, police booked Universal Educational Society president Gurpreet Singh, former sarpanch Chhoti Devi, and two former panchayat members under charges of cheating, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. Police subsequently launched a search for Gurpreet Singh, while a local court summoned original mortgage records from PNB. In July, the Punjab and Haryana high court stayed the Punjab government’s order cancelling the recognition of Universal College until the next date of hearing on November 4.
