6 days ago
ED Questions IAS Officer Again in Suntec City Land-Use Probe
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating how land-use permission was granted for a project called Suntec City.
The project is in Mohali, Punjab.
IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar was questioned because she led the town-planning department when the permission was approved.
Investigators are checking whether landowners really agreed to the documents.
A police case began after a landowner alleged that signatures and thumbprints had been forged.
The ED later began a money-laundering investigation connected to that case.
The agency is also examining private developers and other government officials.
Being questioned does not by itself mean that Brar committed a crime.
The Enforcement Directorate questioned IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar in Jalandhar for the second time in 10 days.
Investigators are examining a modified Change of Land Use approval issued in 2024 for the Suntec City project in Mohali.
The probe includes allegations that consent documents for about 30.5 acres used forged signatures and thumb impressions.
Suntec City promoter Ajay Sehgal was arrested in May after ED searches in Mohali and Chandigarh.
Former Punjab chief secretary Anurag Verma has been summoned to appear before the ED on Aug. 31.
- Who
- The Enforcement Directorate, IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar, Suntec City-linked developers, and other Punjab government officials, including Anurag Verma.
- What
- The ED is investigating alleged forged land-consent documents and the administrative process behind modified Change of Land Use approval for Suntec City.
- Where
- The questioning took place at the ED’s zonal office in Jalandhar; the project is in Mohali, Punjab.
- When
- Brar was questioned again on Thursday, after an earlier session on Aug. 18; Verma was summoned for Aug. 31. The approval was issued in 2024.
- Why
- The investigation concerns allegations of forged landowner consents, possible irregularities in approval changes, and whether private developers benefited.
Investigative focus
Legal status and official position
Approval process
Investigative focus
The ED is examining whether the modified Change of Land Use approval followed the rules and whether landowners’ consent was properly verified.
Legal status and official position
The article does not report a final finding that the approval was unlawful or that Brar committed an offence.
Scope of responsibility
Investigative focus
Investigators are widening the inquiry to officials in the Housing Department and to Change of Land Use approvals issued since 2021.
Legal status and official position
Brar’s repeated questioning concerns the administrative trail; questioning alone does not establish criminal responsibility.
Key facts
- Agency
- Enforcement Directorate
- Project
- Suntec City in Mohali
- Official questioned
- Kanwal Preet Brar, who served as Director of Town and Country Planning in 2024
- Land involved
- About 30.5 acres, including land linked to 14 landowners
- Police case
- An FIR was registered at Mullanpur police station in November 2022
- Developer action
- Suntec City promoter Ajay Sehgal was arrested by the ED in May
- Next summons
- Former Punjab chief secretary Anurag Verma was summoned for Aug. 31
