Ex-DGP files application in court pertaining to Ludhiana city centre scam

A former director general of the Punjab Police filed an application in a local court Wednesday, saying he must be heard in the Ludhiana city centre scam case which involves Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, his son and son-in-law, among others.

In the plea, former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini has requested the court to make him a party in the case as he was the chief director of the vigilance bureau when an FIR was registered in this connection.

Thecourt will hear the case on December 7.

Earlier, District and Session Judge Gurbir Singh had dismissed pleas of MLA Simarjit Bains and former SSP of the vigilance bureau K S Sandhu to make them party in the case.

They had opposed the closure report filed by the vigilance bureau that gave a clean chit to Amarinder, his son and other accused in the case.

The Rs 1,100 crore scam case, alleging that a private builder was favoured during Amarinder's term as the chief minister in 2003, was filed in 2007 when the SAD-BJP coalition was in power.

Overruling its 100-page charge sheet filed initially, the state vigilance bureau in August last year had filed a closure report in the case, saying a reinvestigation of the matter found nothing to substantiate the charges against Amarinder, his son Raninder Singh, son-in-law Raminder Singh and 33 others.

The case had been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Though the charge sheet was filed earlier, the charges were yet to be framed against the accused.

Touted as one of the biggest projects in the state, the Ludhiana city centre plan was rolled out in 2006.

To be spread over 25 acres of land, the project proposed to have shopping malls, 12 multiplexes, residential apartments, helipad and parking slots. The project site on Pakhowal Road of Ludhiana, however, is currently in ruins.