Chandigarh, October 16 – The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued interim bail to former Punjab Finance Minister, Manpreet Singh Badal, in connection with alleged irregularities related to the purchase of a property in Bathinda. Badal had sought relief from the High Court after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a court in Bathinda on October 4.
The bench of Justice Vikas Bahl granted the interim bail to Manpreet Badal, who is now associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had registered a case against Badal and five others in connection with the alleged irregularities in the property purchase. An arrest warrant had been issued by the Bathinda court against him, and the Vigilance Bureau had conducted multiple raids across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan to locate Badal, but he remained elusive.
The investigation was initiated following a complaint by former MLA Sarup Chand Singla in 2021, who alleged irregularities in the purchase of a property at a prime location in Bathinda. BJP leader Singla, formerly associated with the Shiromani Akali Dal, accused Badal, during his tenure as a minister in the previous Congress government, of abusing his position to convert two commercial plots into a residential plot for personal use. The case involved sections of the Indian Penal Code, including cheating and forgery, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The investigation revealed that Badal allegedly misused his authority to acquire two plots measuring 1,560 square yards in Model Town Phase-1, Bathinda, leading to significant financial losses to the state exchequer. It was alleged that Badal collaborated with officials from the Bathinda Development Authority and manipulated the bidding process for the plots in 2021, including uploading fake maps to prevent public participation in the bidding.
The interim bail granted by the High Court will provide relief to Manpreet Singh Badal while legal proceedings continue in the case.
