BHUPINDER SINGH Vs. ENFORCEMENT OF DIRECTORATE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Prayer in this petition, filed under Sec. 439 Cr.P.C., is for grant of regular bail to the petitioner in case/FIR ECIR No. ECIR/JLZO/21/2021 dtd. 30/11/2021 for the offence under Sec. 3, punishable under Sec. 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (for short 'PMLA'), District Jalandhar.

(2.) Learned senior counsel, appearing for the petitioner, has submitted that the petitioner is not involved in any other case; he is in custody for the last about 05 months, that is w.e.f. 3/2/2022, and the investigation in all respect is complete; a formal complaint is already filed before the competent Court of law, therefore, the petitioner is no more required for any further custodial investigation.

(3.) Brief facts of the case are that on 20/5/2017, in an E-Auction conducted by the Mining Department, one Kudratdeep Singh was the successful bidder for Rs.4.04 crores and was allotted a sand mine measuring 4.41 hectares in village Malikpur, District S. B. S. Nagar. Later on, finding that the location of the land is not clear, he got the same demarcated through Halqa Patwari on 16/8/2017 and found that the location of the land is on southern side of Satluj river and there is no proper passage from village Malikpur, where he was allotted the land and some illegal occupants in the village Dhulewal and Rod Majra in District Ludhiana are doing the illegal mining. On this account, Kudratdeep Singh represented various officials of the Mining and Industry Department as well as other higher authorities, however, his grievances were not redressed and on 6/2/2018, the General Manager-cum-Mining Officer, District Industry Centre, S. B. S. Nagar, Punjab suspended his mining license. Kudratdeep Singh filed a Civil Writ Petition before this Court, which was disposed of on 10/1/2020 by giving certain directions and he again filed a second writ petition praying that he may be permitted to surrender the mining site in village Malikpur as the same is not feasible at the spot. Thereafter, he did not perform any work at the said site.