Lookout notice issued against Punjab BJP leader Manpreet Badal in plot purchase case

A lookout notice has been issued against Punjab's former Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who has been booked over alleged irregularities in the purchase of plots in Bathinda.

Three persons have been arrested in the case so far.

Punjab Vigilance Bureau has said that Badal, who joined the BJP after leaving Congress, abused his position to purchase two plots at a prime location in Bathinda, causing a financial loss of lakhs of rupees to the state exchequer.

The vigilance bureau had launched an investigation into the matter based on former MLA Sarup Chand Singla’s 2021 complaint alleging irregularities in the purchase of the property at a prime location in Bathinda.

BJP leader Singla, who was earlier with the Shiromani Akali Dal, had alleged that Badal, as a minister in the previous Congress dispensation, had abused his position to convert two commercial plots into a residential plot for himself.

The case was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including sections 420 (cheating) and 468 (forgery), and also under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

(With PTI inputs)