Chandigarh: Two senior Punjab IAS officers — former Chief Secretary Anurag Verma and Kanwal Preet Brar — have come under scrutiny in the Enforcement Directorate’s probe into alleged irregularities involving the Suntec City and Altus Space Builders projects.
The ED is examining official records, Change of Land Use (CLU) permissions and modifications to approved layouts to understand the administrative decisions surrounding the projects. The agency is also investigating allegations that forged landowner consent letters were used in the process.
Why Are the IAS Officers Under ED Scanner?
Kanwal Preet Brar, a 2007-batch IAS officer, served as Director, Town and Country Planning (TCP), in 2024, when Suntec City received a modified CLU approval. She has been questioned twice and was asked to provide a detailed written response on the partial revocation of the project’s CLU and changes to the approved layout of the Altus Space Builders project.
The ED is also examining whether officials acted on complaints alleging forged consent documents and whether changes in land use or project layouts gave any undue benefit to private developers.
Former Chief Secretary Anurag Verma has also been summoned by the agency. He did not appear on the first scheduled date, and the ED is expected to issue another date for his appearance.
What Is the ED Investigating?
The investigation focuses on the administrative trail behind the real-estate projects. Among the key questions before the agency are:
- Whether landowners genuinely gave consent for development.
- Who verified the consent letters and what procedure officials followed.
- What action authorities took after receiving complaints about alleged forged documents.
- Whether changes in CLUs and approved layouts benefited private developers.
The ED is also examining the role of the Housing and Urban Development Department during the relevant period.
How Did the Suntec City Case Begin?
The matter dates back to complaints raised by landowners of Palheri village in Mohali in 2020. One complainant, Karamjit Singh, alleged that his land appeared in a list showing consent for development even though he had not provided approval.
Police investigations later examined allegations involving forged signatures and thumb impressions. An FIR was registered at Mullanpur police station in November 2022 against office-bearers of the Indian Cooperative Housing Building Society Ltd.
The ED subsequently initiated a money-laundering investigation based on the FIR. According to the agency’s allegations, forged consent letters were used to obtain CLUs covering 108.58 acres of agricultural land for residential and commercial development.
ED Widens Financial Investigation
The probe has since expanded beyond the original allegations to examine the financial trail involving Suntec City and related projects, including Altus Space Builders.
In July, the ED filed a nearly 3,500-page prosecution complaint before the special PMLA court in Mohali. The agency has alleged proceeds of crime of around ₹348 crore in the wider case.
Realtor Ajay Sehgal, associated with the housing society, was arrested by the agency in May.
Administrative Decisions Under Examination
The questioning of the two IAS officers is focused on their official roles during the period under investigation. The ED is examining how CLU permissions were processed, how approved layouts were subsequently modified and how complaints concerning landowner consent were handled.
The agency is also seeking to establish whether administrative decisions resulted in any financial or operational advantage to private developers at the expense of landowners.
However, being summoned or questioned by the ED does not by itself establish criminal liability. The investigation remains ongoing, and any allegations against the officers will have to be established through the legal process.
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