The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Punjab-cadre IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar for questioning on August 18 in connection with its money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the grant of modified change of land use permissions for the Suntec City project in Mohali.
Brar, who served as Director, Town and Country Planning in 2024, is expected to be questioned over the processing and approval of change of land use permissions allegedly based on forged consent documents. The investigation has also widened to examine the role of other bureaucrats who were posted in the Housing Department during 2024.
ED Examines Due Diligence Behind Landowners’ Consent
The summons was sent to Brar through email. Investigators are seeking information on the due diligence undertaken to verify landowners’ consent for the sale of land to the developer.
When contacted, Brar said she was not aware of the summons. She said she had not been present in her office after 2 pm on Friday because she was away for a meeting and did not know whether the summons had been sent to her at that time.
The investigation has expanded to cover alleged irregularities in the functioning of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority and the Housing Department. The ED has already questioned several senior officials and sought complete records relating to change of land use permissions granted to Suntec City and other projects.
The allegations centre on claims that fake consent letters carrying forged signatures and thumb impressions of landowners were used to obtain change of land use approvals. The Suntec City project was originally granted a change of land use approval in 2016, which was re-issued in 2024.
Fake Consent Letters Alleged for 30.5 Acres
According to the ED, fake consent letters were allegedly prepared for 30.5 acres of land belonging to 15 landowners. These documents were allegedly used to secure change of land use permissions.
The report states that project units were subsequently sold even before registration and approvals from the Real Estate Regulatory Authority. Sales worth more than ₹200 crore were reported in the projects under investigation.
The case has also brought the project’s promoter under scrutiny. In July, the ED filed a prosecution complaint before the Special Court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in Mohali against Ajay Sehgal, Secretary of Indian Co-operative House Building Limited and promoter of Suntec City, for allegedly laundering nearly ₹348 crore.
Promoter Arrested as Wider Investigation Continues
Sehgal was arrested in May. The investigation originated from an FIR registered in November 2022 at the Mullanpur police station following complaints by landowners. The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority later cancelled the society’s licence.
The ED’s continuing inquiry is examining the process through which the land-use permissions were obtained and the official scrutiny applied to the supporting documents.
With records from Suntec City and other projects already sought and several senior officials questioned, the investigation has expanded beyond the allegations concerning individual landowners to examine the administrative processes surrounding the approvals.
Brar’s summons is the latest development in that inquiry, with investigators seeking to establish how the landowners’ consent documents were verified before the relevant permissions were processed and approved.
