Punjab cricket body paid Rs 1.57 crore an acre; same seller swapped land at Rs 40 lakh on the same day

On December 20, 2024, the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) acquired 12.56 acres of farmland in Bathinda's Deon village for Rs 19.77 crore, costing around Rs 1.57 lakh per acre. The same day, the seller, Darshan Singh, transferred two plots to two brothers, Bhushan Garg and Vikram Garg, from the nearby Mehma Bhagwana village, with each parcel's value assessed at Rs 32.50 lakh and Rs 32.75 lakh, respectively.

The transaction took place under Vasika No. 11824, and no cash changed hands aside from stamp duty and registration fees.

Eleven days later, Bhushan Garg sold a portion of the land he had received from Darshan to three buyers for Rs 24.40 lakh on December 31, 2024. The 0.54-acre parcel, situated on the village's main road, was valued at around Rs 40 lakh per acre. The PCA's purchase price was significantly higher than the collector rate of approximately Rs 40 lakh per acre, prompting concerns from investigative agency The Indian Express, which obtained the information through an RTI request.

Upon reviewing the transaction records, it was discovered that three separate deals involving Darshan Singh had been registered on December 20. These were followed by Bhushan Garg's resale of part of the exchanged land 11 days later. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has flagged the subsequent transfers of the PCA's payment and a cash withdrawal of Rs 44.60 lakh, recommending that the Punjab Police register an FIR to investigate the transactions.

PCA president Amarjit Singh Mehta has stated that all procedures were followed during the land acquisition process.