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The Vigilance Bureau (VB) has given a clean chit to all accused in the high-profile case involving alleged misuse of funds during the execution of the ₹315-crore Jang-e-Azadi Memorial project in Kartarpur.
A special court of the additional district and sessions judge has accepted the FIR cancellation report filed by the VB, which categorically stated that the charges were not substantiated.
On May 22, 2024, the VB had registered a criminal case against Jalandhar-based media baron Barjinder Singh Hamdard, senior IAS officer Vinay Bublani, and others. The FIR included charges under Sections 406, 409, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B of the IPC, alongside provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The initial probe, based on an internal source report from July 2023, had alleged that contracts for the sewage treatment plant, landscaping, and documentary filmmaking were allotted without following proper tender procedures. It also claimed that the state exchequer suffered a loss of ₹83 crore in steel procurement and ₹27.22 crore through the inclusion of non-scheduled items.
Following the FIR, a special investigation team (SIT) formed in October 2024 initially flagged 36 shortcomings in the project. However, the government constituted a fresh SIT in November last year under the supervision of a DSP-rank officer. After conducting on-site inspections and verifying records, the new SIT concluded that the allegations were baseless.
The recent cancellation report stated that all galleries and statues were found intact, and public health installations were in order. Investigators found no evidence of fake payments or fraudulent billing. Furthermore, the probe confirmed that steel was sourced from reputed firms and had passed laboratory tests. Regarding electrical works, the VB clarified that certain items remained uninstalled due to technical reasons but were adjusted in the final bills, resulting in no loss to the government.
In its judgment, the court observed that the cancellation report was based on thorough spot verification, expert opinions, and a scrutiny of government records. “The investigation has been done in the right earnest. So accordingly, the present cancellation report is hereby accepted,” the court ruled.
Hamdard, who was instrumental in the memorial’s conception since 2012, had resigned as member secretary of the foundation in April 2024. At the time, he accused the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government of “maligning the memorial’s name” through repeated police and VB raids. The memorial, a flagship project of the Parkash Singh Badal government, saw its first phase open in 2016, with subsequent support for the second phase provided by the Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress government.
