The Enforcement Directorate has asked Punjab Police to register an FIR concerning Punjab Cricket Association land purchases worth approximately ₹78 crore in Ajnala and Bathinda. In a letter dated 12 October, the agency reportedly invoked Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to request an investigation. The ED has raised questions about the prices paid compared with earlier acquisition costs and government collector rates. These discrepancies form part of the agency’s allegations and do not, by themselves, establish wrongdoing by the association or any other party.

ED Seeks FIR Against Punjab Cricket Association Over Rs 78-Crore Land Deals

The Enforcement Directorate has asked the Punjab Police to lodge a case regarding land purchases in Ajnala and Bathinda on charges of inflated prices, dubious fund transfers, and probable financial irregularities.

The ED has filed an FIR against the Punjab Cricket Association for land deals worth Rs 78 crore in Ajnala in Amritsar district and Bathinda, alleged purchases at prices much higher than previous acquisition costs and government collector rates.

The agency has written a letter dated October 12 under Section 66 (2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) SAS Nagar to register a First Information Report (FIR) in the matter at the earliest.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) purchased 155 kanals and 15 marlas in Ajnala for Rs 58 crore and 100 kanals and 10 marlas in Bathinda for Rs 20 crore.

ED Seeks FIR Against Punjab Cricket Association Over Pricing Discrepancies

It mentioned a transaction in Bathinda involving Rs 19,76,94,500 or around Rs 19.67 lakh per kanal against a government collector rate of Rs 5 lakh per kanal, amounting to Rs 5,02,50,000.

The ED said the purchase price was almost 3.93 times the collector rate and was the highest amount paid for a single land transaction in the area in 2024-25.

Collector rates are benchmarks assessed by the government and may be different from actual market values. So the alleged discrepancy is part of the agency’s investigation, not independent proof of wrongdoing.

In Ajnala, ED said AGM Heights Private Limited and Future Homes had bought land from local farmers between August and November 2025 for Rs 7 crore.

The two firms had bought the property three to six months ago and on 16 February 2026 sold 155 kanals and 15 marlas to the PCA for Rs 58 crore.

One company bought 61 kanals and two marlas for Rs 1.36 crore at roughly Rs 2.22 lakh per kanal and sold 32 kanals and four marlas to the PCA for Rs 12.03 crore at approximately Rs 37.4 lakh per kanal.

The second firm purchased 224 kanals and two marlas at the rate of Rs 5.56 crore or nearly Rs 2.48 lakh per kanal and later sold 123 kanals and 11.5 marlas at Rs 46.18 crore or approximately Rs 37.4 lakh per kanal.

"The ED said the PCA paid around 15 times the amounts the firms had paid for the relevant land three to six months earlier.

ED Flags Transfers to Directors, Partners and Other Individuals

The agency also probed subsequent transactions by the banks and alleged that AGM Heights received around Rs 12 crore, excluding tax deducted at source (TDS), and then transferred Rs 4 crore to Harimohan Kaur Randhawa, Rs 2 crore to director Gurpreet Singh and Rs 69 lakh to GS Constructor.

The PCA is said to have paid around Rs 46 crore excluding TDS to Future Homes. The ED said the company transferred Rs 45 crore to partners Ramneek Singh and Shallu Dhingra, allocating approximately Rs 22 crore each, and flagged other payments and a transfer to AGM Heights.

In Bathinda, seller Darshan Singh reportedly received approximately Rs 19.57 crore, excluding TDS, across three bank accounts after selling land purchased by the PCA on December 20, 2024.

The ED's letter stated that most of the money subsequently moved to other individuals, while Rs 44.60 lakh was withdrawn in cash. The agency said preliminary enquiries indicated possible misappropriation of association funds.

The letter also described Amarjeet Singh Mehta as an influential Bathinda figure, noting that his son, Padamjeet Singh Mehta, is the city's mayor.

Amarjeet Singh Mehta, a senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader from Bathinda, has served as the PCA's honorary president since February 2023. Deepak Bali is its vice-president, while Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer, Member of Parliament from Sangrur, is honorary secretary.

The ED said the transactions raised suspicions of criminal conspiracy and cheating under Sections 61(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These remain allegations requiring investigation and legal assessment.

The agency enclosed sale and purchase documents with its letter and requested an early copy of the FIR after registration. The request itself does not establish that an FIR has been registered or that any individual has been convicted.

Former Ranji Player's Complaint Preceded Investigation

The investigation followed former Ranji player Rakesh Handa's challenge to the termination of his PCA membership. Handa, who represented the Punjab Ranji team from 1978 to 1982, approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court in August.

He alleged that the PCA terminated his membership on May 21, 2026, without giving him an opportunity to be heard, after he complained about alleged financial irregularities within the association.

The matter was listed on Tuesday. The High Court disposed of his petition after the PCA argued that the membership dispute was civil in nature and that Handa should pursue a civil suit.

The ED's letter and affidavit were not taken on record by the High Court but were supplied to the parties, enabling the documents to become public.

As the investigation develops, the registration of an FIR, examination of financial records, and responses from the PCA and the individuals concerned will be important in determining whether the alleged discrepancies warrant further legal action, according to the issues outlined in the documents reported by Sprouts News.