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Properties of Badal’s ex-OSD
raided
Mohali, May 27, 2004 Acting on orders of the court, a team of the vigilance bureau led by Inspector Jagdish Singh today locked and sealed the various residential, industrial and commercial properties here owned by Hardeep Singh and son Manpreet. These included the palatial three-storeyed one kanal house in Phase 3B1 where he lived before absconding. The team first closed down one of the double showrooms rented out to a popular chain of restaurants in the Phase 3B2 market here. One of these showrooms (SCO Number 61) is owned by Hardeep Singh. Much to the surprise of those running the restaurant, the vigilance sleuths asked them to squeeze their restaurant into one showroom while they sealed the other. This showroom, according to vigilance sources, was bought by Hardeep in August, 1998. Surveyed by the bureau at the rate of over Rs 21 lakh, at present the price of this property is over a crore of rupees. Another empty showroom (SCO 531), in Sector 70 on the Mohali-Sohana Road was locked by the vigilance. This was bought by Hardeep Singh in August, 2001. Surveyed by the vigilance as costing Rs 63 lakh, at present this property too is worth over a crore of rupees. The OSD’s house in Phase 3B1 (number 815) was last to be locked. This was bought by Hardeep Singh in February, 1999. Bought and built at the cost of over Rs 38 lakh, according to the vigilance surveyors, the price of the house now is over 70 lakh. According to vigilance sources, Hardeep Singh had also bought an industrial plot in the name of his son Manpreet at the cost of over Rs 5 lakh in Phase VIII (F- 190) Industrial Area. Since the plot is vacant, the bureau has written to the PSIEC not to allow its sale or purchase. Similarly, Hardeep Singh is said to own property worth crores in Kharar, Delhi and Ludhiana. Hardeep Singh was booked in a corruption case by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on August 29, 2002 (FIR number 22, Mohali) under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and 13(1) DE and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Having denied bail a number of times by various courts, including the apex court, Hardeep Singh was declared a proclaimed offender on August 18, 2003, by a Kharar court following an application moved by the vigilance bureau. On June 13, 2003, Mr Narottam Singh Dhillon, a cousin of Badal, was arrested by the vigilance bureau in the same case. The bureau had alleged that both Dhillon and Hardeep Singh were very close to the Badal family and used to collect huge amounts of money to pass it on to the political bosses. Former Chief Minister's PA took 50 lakh loan from NRI September 10 Long time personal assistant Hardeep Singh of Former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought to counter the Punjab Vigilance Bureau’s claim of his allegedly amassing property worth Rs 8 crore. He had got Rs 50 lakh as personal loan from NRI relatives and friends to buy properties he held in his name. Most of the transactions, however, had been during the chief ministership of Mr Badal. Mr Hardeep Singh is on anticipatory bail till September 21. About the machinery recovered from his house, he said computers and electronic typewriters were of the Shiromani Akali Dal. He said the property is Sector 19 was bought by his NRI friend, Mr Man Singh Mann from Begowal, from one Mr Bhagat Singh. He said he bought his first house (H. N. 1158, Sector 42-B) in 1992-93 and sold it in 1997-98, earning a profit of Rs 5.39 lakh. He then bought a house 1070, Sector 21-B in 1997 and sold it, earning a profit of Rs 1.74 lakh in 1998-1999. He took permission for this transaction. He then bought another property (1289, Sector 42-B) and sold it in the year 2002, earning a profit of Rs 7.5 lakh. He still owned three properties in his name —SCF 61 Phase II, SAS Nagar worth Rs 28 lakh, 815, 3B1, SAS Nagar, worth Rs 38.4 lakh and SCO 531, Sector 70 worth Rs 61 lakh. Giving details of his income, he said he had borrowed Rs 39 lakh from a bank, Rs 25 lakh from NRI relatives, Rs 25 lakh from friends, had made a profit of Rs 14.35 lakh from sale of properties, earned 3.89 lakh interest on non-interest payable loan from relatives, Rs 23.16 lakh from rent, Rs 10 lakh from salary, Rs 3 lakh from GPF and Rs 1.3 lakh from his wife who is working with the Punjab Government. Mr Hardeep Singh said his close relatives were NRIs in the USA and he had transactions with them.
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