Stamp duty evasion: Chandigarh parking lot contractors and unnamed government employees are the targets of a CBI probe

The CBI has filed a case against contractors of two paid parking lot management organizations and unnamed government employees for allegedly paying less stamp duty for the execution of license deeds for 89 such lots, which has angered Municipal Corporation authorities.

The CBI noted that instead of paying Rs 21.04 lakh, the accused allegedly paid just Rs 7.01 lakh in collusion with Municipal Corporation officials, costing revenue authorities money.

A preliminary inquiry was first filed in this respect on September 11, 2023, according to the FIR that the Chandigarh Tribune has. Investigating further revealed that the contractors had received an allocation letter and a letter of intent without having signed the license or lease agreement.

Following the issuing of the assignment letter via Superintendent (Parking) Monil Chauhan, the license/lease document was completed around 1.5 years later, under the instruction of the then-Additional Commissioner (II), MC, Satish Kumar Jain.

According to the two contractors, Monil prepared the lease paperwork and gave them to them to execute. In her capacity as Superintendent of Grade II, she was fully aware of the lease deed amount. According to the FIR, it was her responsibility to ascertain the average yearly lease amount for which stamp duty was due at the Chandigarh sub-registrar’s office.

Then-AC Jain signed both leasing agreements without first obtaining consent from the Competent Authority and doing the necessary legal due diligence via the appropriate channels. The FIR said, “He submitted an audit para reply without taking any action, despite being fully aware of the audit paras where the amount of stamp duty was explicitly given.

Through its Director(s), Vikas Pandey, an authorized signatory of Pashchatya Entertainment Pvt Limited, Sanjay Sharma, Director of Pashchatya Entertainment Pvt Limited, and unidentified public servants, a case under sections 120-B r/w 420-B of the IPC has been filed against Ram Sunder Prasad Singh and Pashchatya Entertainment Pvt Limited for investigation.

The sub-registrar’s job may also be investigated further. Pashchatya was the contractor for 57 paid parking lots, while Ram Sunder was responsible for 32.

Sanjay Sharma, the director of Pashchatya Entertainment Pvt Ltd, was detained by the Chandigarh police in March of last year on suspicion of providing fraudulent bank guarantees totaling Rs 1.65 crore to operate 57 paid parking lots in the city.