An old case linked to former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has come back into discussion with fresh movement by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, as top sources say the matter is around two years old but has now resurfaced after the vigilance bureau sent the file again for approval and the file was initially reportedly moved by Vigilance Chief at that time Virendra Kumar.
The issue is related to the leasing of a Punjab government tourism property in Goa during Channi’s tenure (September 2021 to March 2022) and the property spread over about 8 acres is said to be prime land. It was allegedly leased to a private hotelier at a much lower rate than market value and officials claim it was given at nearly ₹1 lakh per month while its actual worth is said to be much higher and along with this there are also claims that proper rules were not followed while giving the lease including lack of consent from some stakeholders.
The vigilance bureau had earlier sought permission in 2023 to start a probe but the file did not move ahead and now a fresh request for sanction has been sent to the state government under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and this section makes it necessary to take government approval before investigating decisions taken by public officials during their duty.
Sources say two IAS officers linked to the case are also under the radar and one of them has now retired but their role is being looked at as part of the administrative process behind the lease decision.
Channi has denied all allegations and called it political vendetta and he has also raised questioned about where is the actual loss if possession of the property was never given and how can he be blamed when files move through officials responsible for procedures? He has also claimed that repeated inquiries have found no solid evidence against him.
Right now no fresh case has been registered yet and the next step depends on whether the state government grants sanction for investigation and if approval is given the vigilance bureau can formally begin a probe but if not the matter may stall again.
