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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Punjab-cadre IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar for questioning on August 18 as part of its money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities linked to the Suntec City project in Mohali. The probe centres on the processing and approval of modified change of land use (CLU) permissions for the project. The ED is examining allegations that forged consent documents were used during the approval process. The project, spread across 108.58 acres, has already come under the agency’s investigation over alleged generation and concealment of proceeds of crime.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Punjab-cadre IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar for questioning on August 18 in connection with its money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding the Suntec City project in Mohali.
The investigation is focused on the processing and approval of modified change of land use (CLU) permissions associated with the large residential and commercial development. The ED is examining whether the approvals were obtained using forged consent documents and whether the process resulted in the generation or concealment of proceeds of crime.
Brar is being questioned in relation to her role in the administrative process surrounding the permissions. According to reports, the agency is seeking details about how the relevant CLU applications were processed and approved during the period when she was associated with the state’s town and country planning administration. The summons makes her questioning part of the wider investigation, but does not by itself establish any wrongdoing on her part.
The Suntec City project is located on approximately 108.58 acres of agricultural land in the Greater Mohali area. According to the ED’s investigation, the project involved the submission of allegedly fabricated consent letters to the Department of Town and Country Planning. These documents were purportedly used to secure CLU permissions, following which the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) granted a licence for the proposed development.
The alleged irregularities relate to consent documents concerning land belonging to multiple owners. Investigators are examining whether these documents were genuine and whether they were improperly relied upon during the land-use conversion process.
The case has already resulted in enforcement action against individuals linked to the project. In July, the ED registered a money-laundering case against developer Ajay Sehgal, alleging that he was involved in the generation and concealment of proceeds of crime connected with Suntec City. The agency’s investigation subsequently widened to examine the administrative approvals and the roles of officials involved in the process.
The project’s regulatory history has consequently come under closer scrutiny, particularly the sequence through which agricultural land was proposed for development and the permissions required to enable that transition.
The ED’s latest summons indicates that the investigation is examining not only the alleged financial aspects of the project but also the administrative trail behind the approvals. Questioning officials involved in the process could help the agency establish how the permissions were initiated, processed and granted.
The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations being examined by the ED have not been finally adjudicated. The questioning of the IAS officer is expected to provide investigators with further information about the approval process and the circumstances surrounding the disputed CLU permissions.
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