Amritsar Improvement Trust case: Govt seeks time to reply

MOHALI: The Punjab government sought more time from a local court to respond to a plea filed by former state assembly deputy speaker Bir Devinder regarding the Amritsar Improvement Trust scam, on Wednesday.

In his plea, Devinder has urged that the state vigilance bureau should not withdraw the case registered against chief minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh regarding an alleged scam. He has also requested that he should be made a government witness in the case.

Responding to the plea, CM’S counsel sought permission to file a reply, but it was denied by the court.

Meanwhile, Devinder reiterated his demand that the probe should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. “The present CM is the minister of the same department that is probing the case. Will the officials ever go against him? Such is the misery of the fate of those who are seeking justice,” he said.

He also claimed that the statement he gave to the vigilance bureau has not been considered.

Meanwhile, the court has scheduled the next date of hearing on December 20.

THE CASE

The land scam had rocked the 12th Vidhan Sabha in March 2006, when the then ruling Congress’ MLA Bir Devinder raised questions on exempting a piece of 32 acres of land from acquisition apparently to favour a private builder, seeking a detailed inquiry into the matter.

With the then Congress regime dilly-dallying on the issue, it was the 13th Vidhan Sabha when the SAD-BJP combine came to power in February 2007 that a fresh committee of legislators probed the matter and tabled its report in the House in October that year, recommending registration of a case with the vigilance bureau.

In October 2016, the vigilance bureau filed a cancellation report in the case. But the court sent it back in August this year and asked it to reinvestigate.

In his plea, Devinder said a large amount is involved in the case and has alleged that the vigilance bureau had “misrepresented” facts, which necessitates a fair probe.

BIR DEVINDER HAS URGED IN PETITION THAT VIGILANCE BUREAU SHOULD NOT WITHDRAW THE CASE REGISTERED AGAINST THE CM