Hoshiarpur land scam: ED files case against exSDM
Official says agency took suo motu action on VB leads
CHANDIGARH: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday registered a money laundering case against former Hoshiarpur SDM Anand Sagar Sharma and 10 others in the multi-crore Hoshiarpur land scam, exposed by HT in February 2016.
CHANDIGARH: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday registered a money laundering case against former Hoshiarpur SDM Anand Sagar Sharma and 10 others in the multi-crore Hoshiarpur land scam, exposed by Hindustan Times in February 2016.
According to a statement issued by ED’s Jalandhar office, government officials and private parties allegedly colluded to show the commercial land as agricultural, causing a loss of ₹58 crore to the state exchequer. The land was acquired for the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur-Chintpurni four-lane highway project. Sharma was then SDM of Hoshiarpur.
“The ED has taken a suo motu action in this case while following close leads provided by the Vigilance Bureau (VB),” said an ED official.
The economic offences wing of the VB, Ludhiana, had registered a first information report under Section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating), 467, 468 and 471 (forgery), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, against Sharma and 10 others in February this year.
According to the VB, Sharma “colluded” with revenue officials and Akali leaders to “illegally” sell the land that was already notified for acquisition.
The Akali leaders booked in the case include Hoshiarpur market committee chairman Avtar Singh Johal, councillor Harpinder Gill and district co-operative bank chairman Satwinder Pal Singh Dhatt. The other accused are Devi Ram, Jaswinder Pal Singh, and Prateek Gupta.
According to the FIR, an extra amount of ₹23.19 crore was paid as compensation in only two villages — Khawaspur and Piplanwala — where the Akali leaders and other land sharks purchased the already notified land in the names of their kin from farmers at throwaway prices during the acquisition process.
ACCORDING TO VB, ACCUSED ANAND SAGAR SHARMA COLLUDED WITH AKALI LEADERS, REVENUE OFFICIALS TO ILLEGALLY SELL LAND THAT WAS NOTIFIED FOR ACQUISITION