Skip to main content

Akhilesh government decides to withdraw all cases against Ponty Chadha in UP


The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to withdraw all cases against late liquor baron Ponty Chadha in the state. The decision was taken in a Cabinet meeting in Uttar Pradesh. Ponty Chadha, who was the sole liquor distributor in Uttar Pradesh, died after a shootout between him and his brother Hardeep at his farmhouse in Delhi. Hardeep was also killed in the shootout.

Ponty Chadha's other business interests included real estate, sugar mills and film production, which he used to look after along with his two brothers - Hardeep and Rajinder. The business empire was reportedly worth Rs 6,000 crore.

However, no arrests have been made in regard to the double murders case. The police are yet to find significant leads into what led to the shootout. The police have said that a clash between the two brothers had taken place in another farmhouse, located a few kilometers away, on the morning of the shootout.


Ponty was known to be close to the Samajwadi Party but after Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party came to power, he changed his loyalties. His business also flourished during the BSP regime and Ponty floated 16 companies right after Mayawati took over as the chief minister in 2007. These companies were given contracts ranging from real estate to sugar mills to film production and distribution.

 After the Samajwadi Party returned to power in March 2012, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that he would hold a probe against Ponty and his wealth but not much was done following reports that the party had patched up with the controversial businessman. Earlier, in February when Uttar Pradesh was gearing up for Assembly Elections, the Income Tax department had conducted raids at 17 locations across the state and New Delhi including a prime shopping mall - Centrestage Mall in Noida - and farmhouses owned by Ponty. After the searches in February, the Income Tax department had said that it had seized Rs 11 crore in cash, jewellery and fixed deposits and sealed 13 bank lockers. Three months after the raids, an Income Tax official said that Ponty had disclosed an "unrecorded income of Rs 175 crore" to them.
The police are now probing the murders of the two brothers. According to the police, Ponty's men had tried to remove Hardeep's supporters from their farmhouse in Kapashera in southwest Delhi, and that two men had even been arrested for that. The police version has contradicted a claim made by a close relative mediating between the warring brothers who claimed the shootout was not linked to the dispute over the farmhouse. Delhi Gurudwara Prabhandhak Committee chief Parminder Singh Sarna, who had mediated, had claimed a settlement had been reached between the brothers.

 According to the family, the immediate provocation could be fit of rage and had nothing to do with the farmhouse, but sources say that police continue to maintain that it was the fight for possession of the property which caused the two deaths.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

GDA, builders unite to decongest Raj Nagar Extension

GHAZIABAD: Builders in  Raj Nagar Extension  and the Ghaziabad Development Authority  (GDA) have joined hands to put an end to congestion woes in the area. The move would give a breather to the people commuting through the area and builders believe that this will entice more people into buying a property in the area. "To execute the proposed traffic decongestion plan for NH 58 and other roads in Ghaziabad,  GDA  has decided to complete these works in association with Raj Nagar Extension Developers Association," said Gaurav Gupta, spokesperson of the Association. Mr Gupta added, "The authorities propose to restructure of the NH-58 stretch - from Meerut-crossing (near new bus stand) to ALT-cut."  The builder and GDA team will undertake maintenance of the road and close down illegal cuts on the road (used for taking U-tunr) which have been the main reason behind the mess. The project is already underway and is expected to incur a cost of Rs 2 crore.  The...
3 comments
Read more

In Akhilesh reign, Noida-Ghaziabad left powerless and dry

Ghaziabad/Noida: The woes of the people of NCR's Noida and Ghaziabad areas have been compounded, thanks to the twin crises of power cuts and water shortage. Noida residents have complained of a significantly reduced supply of water. In sectors such as 10, 11, 12, 15, 27, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 56 and 71, the problem of reduced hours of supply has emerged over the past ten days. Many other sectors are reportedly receiving saline mixed with 'soft' Ganga water. "Our house is situated on the ninth floor and very little water reaches that level. The entire pressure gets exhausted on the lower floors. It is a big problem for us," Rama Pandey, a resident of a housing society in Noida Sector 62, said. Munna Sharma, president of Noida Sector-71 RWA and former office bearer of the Federation of Noida RWAs (FONRWA), said, "Normally, we are scheduled to get six hours of water supply, three each in the morning and evening, but these days, we are getting water for just thr...
1 comment
Read more

Metro smart cards may soon be used in Delhi buses

The Delhi Metro’s Smart Cards will soon be valid for travel in both the metro trains as well in buses being run in the national capital.  The smart cards would also be integrated with the National Common Mobility Card - More (peacock). The facility would help commuters use all kinds of transport in the city with one single card. The cards would, however, be renamed as ‘Yatri More Cards’ for this purpose. To facilitate its implementation, a series of high-level meetings have since taken place between the Urban Development ministry and Delhi government’s transport department. “It has been decided that the ‘More’ (meaning peacock) cards will be introduced initially in the cluster buses and later in the DTC buses. The art work for designing the ‘More’ cards is already in progress,” said Urban Development Secretary Sudhir Krishna at a press conference here. Krishna said the facility was  likely to be made operational by May and by the end of the year the common mobility card would...
Post a Comment
Read more