Chandigarh, September 2, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to former Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma, asking the senior IAS officer to appear at its Jalandhar office on September 7 as the agency intensifies its investigation into alleged irregularities connected with real estate projects in Mohali.
Verma, currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Financial Commissioner, Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management, had earlier been called for questioning on August 31.
He did not appear on that date and sought an adjournment to gather the documents required by the investigating agency. The ED has now fixed September 7 for his appearance.
Verma is the second senior Punjab-cadre IAS officer whose role has come under examination in the investigation concerning Suntec City and Altus Space Builders Private Limited.
IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar, a 2007-batch officer currently serving as Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, has already appeared before the ED twice in connection with the investigation.
Brar was first questioned at the agency’s Jalandhar office on August 18 for several hours. She was subsequently called again with additional records and appeared for a second round of questioning on August 27, when the proceedings continued for more than seven hours.
Why Two IAS Officers Are Being Examined
The investigation has brought under scrutiny administrative decisions concerning Change of Land Use (CLU) permissions, alterations to sanctioned layouts and regulatory action relating to the projects.
Brar served as Director, Town and Country Planning, in 2024 and consequently handled official matters during a period relevant to some of the decisions being examined.
During her questioning, the ED is learnt to have sought details concerning the partial revocation of the CLU pertaining to Suntec City and changes in the approved layout of the Altus Space Builders project.
The agency has also been examining the response of the authorities to complaints alleging that consent documents of landowners had been fabricated.
Verma, meanwhile, headed Punjab’s Housing and Urban Development Department during the period covering decisions that have now attracted the ED’s attention.
His questioning is expected to centre on the administrative process followed in dealing with CLU permissions, modifications to approved project layouts and the manner in which the department dealt with the issues that subsequently became part of the investigation.
The ED is seeking to establish whether prescribed procedures were followed and how the decisions under examination were processed at different levels of the state administration.
The fact that either officer has been summoned or questioned does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing or criminal liability on their part.
Suntec City Case and Alleged Forged Consents
The Suntec City investigation has its roots in allegations concerning land in the New Chandigarh area of Mohali.
Complaints from landowners led to allegations that consent documents bearing purportedly forged signatures or thumb impressions had been used while seeking approvals connected with the project.
The ED is investigating allegations that forged consent letters were used in the process of obtaining CLU permissions for agricultural land proposed to be developed for residential and commercial purposes.
The money-laundering investigation arose from a case registered at Mullanpur Police Station in November 2022 against realtor Ajay Sehgal and other persons associated with the Indian Cooperative House Building Society.
The allegations included cheating landowners and customers through documents connected with CLU permissions and the development of the project.
ED Files Prosecution Complaint
The ED arrested Ajay Sehgal in May in connection with the case.
The agency subsequently filed a prosecution complaint running into nearly 3,500 pages before a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mohali on July 20.
The ED has alleged that Sehgal was a key figure in the generation and concealment of proceeds of crime arising from the project.
The agency has estimated the alleged proceeds of crime at approximately Rs 348 crore. This includes money attributed to sales as well as the estimated value of unsold inventory connected with the project.
As the investigation moved from the alleged financial transactions to the administrative trail behind project approvals, the ED began examining the role of officials who dealt with the relevant files and permissions.
Brar Questioned on CLU, Layout Changes
Brar’s two appearances before the ED form part of this examination of the administrative decision-making process.
During the second round of questioning, investigators sought a detailed response concerning decisions related to Suntec City and the approved layout of the Altus Space Builders project.
The agency is also looking at whether complaints regarding allegedly forged landowner consent documents received adequate regulatory attention and whether subsequent decisions resulted in benefits to private developers.
Brar’s role is being examined in the context of her tenure as Director, Town and Country Planning.
Focus Now on Verma’s Appearance
Attention will now turn to Verma’s scheduled appearance on September 7.
As the former head of the Housing and Urban Development Department, Verma is expected to be questioned about the movement and processing of relevant files, the administrative basis for decisions taken on CLU and layouts, and the department’s handling of alleged violations associated with the projects.
The investigation is continuing, and the ED is examining both documentary records and the explanations of officials who occupied key administrative positions when the decisions under scrutiny were taken.
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