His son is also the director of Sugar Mill Plaza Private Limited, Phagwara. The development comes at a time when farmers have launched an agitation on September 27 to get their cane dues for previous years and have shut the mill gates. VB officials said an inquiry was initiated in 2019 against the MD, directors, additional director of Jagatjit Sugar Mills Company Limited, Wahid Sandhar Sugars Limited Phagwara, and Sugar Mill Plaza Private Limited.

 

The bureau’s officials found that Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of the erstwhile Kapurthala state, through an agreement dated February 9, 1933, allotted sugar mill industry in his state to develop Jagatjit Sugar Mills Company Limited. For running this mill, he allotted 251 kanals and 18 marlas land free of cost as waiver land whose ownership rights were given to Jagatjit Singh Sugar Mills Company Limited with conditions.

 

As per points 1 and 8 of the order/agreement, this land could not be sold or mortgaged further. However, if the sugar mill was to be closed, the land would revert to the state without any compensation. The company could set up mills to manufacture sugar industry and any of its by-products.

 

“The company may, with the approval of the government, transfer its rights to any other company, corporation or person connected with the sugar industry, not objecting to the merger, but the same shall be intimated to the government,” the VB said, citing the order.

 

However, the probe found that as the mill operations had changed hands in the past two decades, the land was mortgaged for seeking loans from banks and a part of it was also sold. Apart from this, the VB said vital facts were concealed during a court case. The VB said that there were crucial illegalities in these land deals due to which first information report (FIR) No. 26 was registered on Saturday under sections 166, 177, 210, 406, 409, 418, 420, 120-B of the IPC and Section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act at Vigilance Bureau police station of Jalandhar range.

 

Bureau officials said that during the investigation, it came to light that accused Sandeep Singh Wahid had shifted abroad and returned to India from England only some time ago. “All the ill-gotten money transferred to foreign countries by looting the hard-earned money of the common people and farmers due for payments would also be recovered,” a VB statement.