The Rs 1,140-crore project, announced in 2003 during the previous tenure of Captain Amarinder Singh, was pitched as the fourth largest project in Asia.
Ten years after Captain Amarinder Singh, his son and others were booked in the multi-crore Ludhiana City Centre scam, the Vigilance has given a clean chit to the Chief Minister and 31 other accused in the case.
The Rs 1,140-crore project, announced in 2003 during the previous tenure of Captain Amarinder Singh, was pitched as the fourth largest project in Asia. Spread over 25 acres, it was proposed to include 12 multiplexes, a five-star hotel, an art gallery, golf course and a food court and was being developed by Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT).
However, soon after the 2007 Assembly elections, SAD-BJP coalition wrested power and threw the lid off the alleged multi-crore scam accusing Captain Amarinder for violating norms and abetting the dilution of terms and conditions for favouring Delhi-based India Homes in executing the project during his term as the Punjab CM. The case was raked up as a major poll issue in the 2007 Assembly elections which led to Captain Amarinder's defeat.
In the resumed hearing of the case on Saturday, the Vigilance submitted the closure report seeking cancellation of FIR registered against Captain Amarinder and 31 others including his son Raninder Singh and son-in-law Raminder Singh.
"The Vigilance had sought cancellation of the case against Captain Amarinder and others in the absence of strong evidence. It is upto the Court to take a final call in the next hearing," Tarlok Singh Sood, Counself for Captain Amarinder Singh told DNA. There were 36 accused in the case, however, four of them died during the course of investigation. The case was also under the ED scanner.
The case was registered in 2007 for cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust, using as genuine a forged document and criminal conspiracy along with sections of Prevention of Corruption Act. The chargesheet was filed in December, 2007.
Soon after the Congress assumed power in March, the Vigilance had sought review of the case. With clean chit to the accused, the multi-crore project, which remains stalled, could also see the light of the day.
The next hearing in the case is on September 2.
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