CHANDIGARH: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today claimed that its searches in the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) case found that senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were holding “unofficial” meetings with officials of the Punjab government authority.
ED officials claimed that a house in Sector 39 of Chandigarh, allotted to Punjab AAP leader and Chairman of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board Sunny Singh Ahluwalia, was raided as part of the September 22 action as it was being “used by” Jain and his OSD for meeting senior GMADA officials and discussing various issues, including fresh auctions, acquisitions and determination of compensation.
The ED claimed that both Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain held regular unofficial meetings with GMADA officials involved in land development, land acquisition and land auctions over master plans and site auctions, and that key decisions on fresh auctions, land acquisitions and compensation were informally made under Jain's instructions.
As per the findings of the ED, senior GMADA officials allegedly carried files outside PUDA Bhawan for informal meetings with Satyendar Jain and Amarender Jha at House No. 926, Sector 39, Chandigarh.
This government house was officially allotted to Sunny Singh Ahluwalia, an AAP leader and chairman of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board. The ED alleges that the property was actually used by Satyendar Jain to influence GMADA affairs for personal gain and loss to the public exchequer.
The apex investigating agency has also alleged that reserve prices for GMADA's unsold land bank were fraudulently reduced before auctions, causing a loss of nearly Rs 10,000 crore to GMADA and the Punjab government while benefiting builders and politicians. As the reserve prices for GMADA's unsold land bank were allegedly fraudulently engineered downward before the land was put up for auction, the agency has flagged the issue.
The ED's findings also include alleged irregularities in land acquisition awards and compensation under the 2013 Act. The agency has alleged that GMADA illegally waived statutory dues in favour of Remigate, resulting in a pecuniary benefit of around Rs 57 crore. It also flagged the re-allotment of cancelled plots.
The ED note further alleged that Amarender Jha, described as an OSD to Satyendar Jain, informally held a room inside PUDA Bhawan despite having no official position there. According to the agency, Jha allegedly issued instructions and influenced key GMADA decisions, purportedly for pecuniary benefit to politicians and private individuals. The investigators also stated that phones seized from officers contained chats referring to hawala payments to relatives of Punjab government politicians.
The agency conducted search and survey operations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, at 26 premises across Delhi, Mohali, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Ludhiana.
The investigation originated from a CBI FIR alleging a Rs 238-crore bank fraud by Tirupati promoters Jagmohan Garg and Manmohan Garg, involving fund diversion.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) categorically denied these allegations, saying such accusations were “completely false, baseless and politically motivated”.
The ruling party pointed out that the ED’s own press release exposes that there is no FIR or predicate offence against the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), raising serious questions over the legality and purpose of its illegal raid. AAP said the CBI FIR cited by the ED relates to an alleged bank fraud involving Tirupati Infra Projects and has nothing to do with GMADA or Punjab, yet the agency used it as a pretext to illegally enter GMADA, take away its documents and data and disrupt the functioning of the Punjab government authority for three days.
In a statement, AAP said, “The ED has itself stated in its press release that the case it is investigating is based on a CBI FIR relating to an alleged bank fraud involving Tirupati Infra Projects. That case has nothing to do with GMADA or Punjab. There was no predicate offence or FIR relating to GMADA in the case cited by the ED. Yet, using this as an excuse, the ED illegally entered GMADA and took away its documents and data.”
“This was not an investigation into any offence committed by GMADA. This was daylight robbery of Punjab government records. The ED illegally entered GMADA, took away its documents and data, and kept the work of the authority disrupted for three days. The people of Punjab were made to suffer so that the Modi government could carry out this illegal exercise,” the party said.
The AAP said, “The more than 50-hour illegal ED raid has yielded nothing. Having failed to find anything, the BJP is now desperately trying to manufacture a political narrative out of nowhere. First they illegally entered GMADA and took away its records, and now completely false stories are being planted to create a justification for an action that had no connection with the case cited by the ED itself.”
“The entire purpose was to create disruption in Punjab, stop government work for three days and then use whatever material was taken away from GMADA to manufacture a political controversy. This is not an investigation, this is political harassment of Punjab through a central agency,” the party said.
The AAP said the Punjab government would take the strongest possible legal action against those found responsible for any illegal conduct during the operation. “The Punjab government will examine the entire matter in detail. Whoever is found responsible for illegally entering a Punjab government office, taking away its records or committing any other unlawful act will face the strongest possible legal action available under the law,” AAP said.
On the claims concerning Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, the party said, “The reports claiming that Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain held meetings with GMADA officials are completely false, baseless and politically motivated. Neither Manish Sisodia nor Satyendar Jain has any role in GMADA’s projects, functioning or official matters. Their role in Punjab is purely political, and they have no involvement whatsoever in GMADA’s day-to-day functioning or projects.”
“After finding nothing in the illegal ED raid, the BJP is now desperately trying to manufacture a political narrative by planting completely false stories about meetings and instructions. There is no truth whatsoever in these claims. This is an attempt to create a controversy where none exists and divert attention from the illegal action carried out at GMADA,” AAP said.
