In a case involving the misallocation and illegal sale of falsely assigned shares of Shamlat (panchayat) Land, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has filed a Prosecution Complaint against Varinder Pal Singh Dhoot (NaibTehsildar) and 12 others before the Hon’ble Special Judge, Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), SAS Nagar, Punjab on June 16, 2023. On July 17, 2022, the Honourable Special Judge of the PMLA took cognizance of the aforementioned prosecution complaint.
An FIR filed by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau under the Prevention of Corruption Act and numerous IPC sections served as the foundation for the investigation’s launch by the ED.
According to a probe by the ED, revenue authorities Varinder Pal Singh Dhoot and others assigned 102 acres of Shamlat Land in the hamlet of Seonk—with a market value of almost Rs. 30 crore—in the names of certain people who weren’t qualified. The private property dealers then got power of attorney from these villagers, and using this power of attorney, the abovementioned private property dealers sold Shamlat Land to outside buyers in collusion with revenue authorities. The private property sellers and revenue authorities split the sale proceeds among themselves, providing a little sum to the villagers who provided the power of solicitors.
The suspect, Varinder Pal Singh Dhoot (Naib Tehsildar), was taken into prison by the court after being detained by the ED on April 20, 2023. Prior to this, on June 1, 2023, the ED temporarily seized Varinder Pal Singh Dhoot’s home properties in Chandigarh and Hoshiarpur, which are estimated to be worth $8 million. In this scenario, more research is being conducted.
