In a significant development, an arrest warrant and a Look-Out Circular (LOC) were issued against Punjab’s former Finance Minister and BJP leader Manpreet Singh Badal on Tuesday. The action comes in the wake of a criminal and corruption case registered against him by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, a day before, regarding alleged irregularities in the purchase of a property in Bathinda.
Punjab Vigilance Bureau initiated the case against Manpreet and five others, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant by the court of the additional chief judicial magistrate in Bathinda. It is important to note that three individuals among the accused had already been arrested by the authorities.
Besides Manpreet Badal, former Bathinda Development Authority’s (BDA) chief administrator Bikramjit Shergill, Rajiv Kumar, Amandeep Singh, Vikas Arora and Pankaj have been booked in the matter. Notably, Rajiv Kumar, Amandeep Singh and Vikas Arora have already been arrested.
A Look-Out Circular (LOC) has also been issued against Manpreet Badal after teams from the state Vigilance Bureau conducted raids at his residence in Muktsar in an attempt to apprehend him. His counsel, Sukhdeep Singh, informed that they have withdrawn the pre-arrest bail application previously filed in the Bathinda court. Instead, they plan to file a fresh bail application now, with new facts, as an FIR has been registered in the case.
The FIR against Manpreet and his associates includes sections of the Indian Penal Code such as 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), among others, in addition to provisions under the Prevention of Corruption Act entailing punishment for a public servant who commits criminal misconduct, in addition to the Information Technology Act. The case stems from allegations made by SAD leader and former MLA Sarup Chand Singla in 2021, who claimed irregularities in the acquisition of a prime property in Bathinda.
He alleged that Manpreet Badal, while serving as a Minister in the previous Congress Government, misused his position to convert two commercial plots into a residential plot for his personal benefit. The probe pointed out that Manpreet “abused” his position to purchase two plots measuring 1,560 square yards in Model Town phase-1 Bathinda, thereby causing a financial loss of lakhs of rupees to the state exchequer.
The investigation revealed that Badal had allegedly colluded with officials from the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) and manipulated the bidding process for plots in 2021. The use of fake maps was cited as a means to prevent public participation in the bidding process, causing a financial loss of Rs 65 lakhs to the state exchequer.
Manpreet Badal, who switched from the Congress to the BJP in January this year, is now facing legal action in the land allotment case. After his questioning by the Vigilance in the matter in July, Manpreet had accused the Chief Minister Mann of trying to suppress the voice of his political opponents with such action.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann commented on the situation, emphasizing the importance of truthfulness and criticizing those who previously claimed to uphold honesty but are now seeking legal protection against arrest.
Taking a swipe at Manpreet, Mann had said that those who used to boast about honesty are now running from pillar to post to save their skin. “There is a huge difference between speaking the truth and standing by it…These leaders earlier used to say that they would wait for whatever action is taken against them, but are now seeking legal protection against arrest,” he added.
The Look-Out Circular against Manpreet Badal has been issued at all airports, and the Punjab Vigilance Bureau is actively pursuing his arrest.
Confirming that the lookout notice had been issued against Manpreet, Bathinda Vigilance Bureau SSP Harpal Singh said that the teams were conducting raids to arrest him.
