CHANDIGARH: In a significant and politically loaded reversal, the Punjab government has quietly withdrawn a high-profile criminal case against Barjinder Singh Hamdard, editor and owner of the Jalandhar-based Punjabi daily Daily Ajit, bringing to an end months of open confrontation between the AAP government and one of the state’s most influential media houses.
A special court of Additional District and Sessions Judge has accepted the Punjab government’s plea seeking cancellation of the FIR registered by the Vigilance Bureau in connection with alleged misuse of ₹315 crore in the Jang-e-Azadi Memorial project at Kartarpur. The Vigilance Bureau informed the court that the charges were not substantiated.
The FIR, registered on May 22, 2024, had named Hamdard along with senior IAS officer Vinay Bublani and others. It invoked stringent provisions under IPC Sections 406, 409, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B, besides sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act—making it one of the most serious corruption cases projected by the AAP government last year.
The withdrawal marks a sharp contrast to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s earlier aggressive posture. Mann had repeatedly gone public accusing Hamdard of corruption and “mischief, ” using political platforms to target the veteran editor. The government had also stopped official advertisements to Daily Ajit, a move widely viewed as punitive.
At the height of the confrontation, the Mann government even briefly disrupted the supply of Daily Ajit and deputed police teams reportedly to arrest Hamdard, triggering sharp criticism from media bodies and opposition parties over alleged intimidation of the press.
The Jang-e-Azadi Memorial project was originally conceived by former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who appointed Hamdard as its CEO. The appointment was later endorsed by Congress Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, a fact repeatedly highlighted by Hamdard’s supporters to counter allegations of impropriety.
Sisodia Apology, Political Reset
The de-escalation became visible recently when senior AAP leader and Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia visited the Daily Ajit office and publicly apologised to Hamdard. Political circles believe the meeting was aimed at resolving the prolonged standoff and limiting political damage ahead of crucial electoral battles.
The formal withdrawal of the case now lends weight to allegations that the FIR was politically motivated—a charge the government has consistently denied.
Even as the Mann government retreats on the Daily Ajit front, it has opened another confrontation—this time with the Punjab Kesari group, a major Hindi and Punjabi newspaper chain and a rival of Daily Ajit. Government advertisements to the group have been stopped, and Pollution Board teams recently halted newspaper printing at its Ludhiana press.
The Supreme Court, however, granted a stay on the action, providing relief to the group and raising further questions about the government’s handling of regulatory powers.
The developments come amid growing public and political backlash against the AAP government for allegedly blocking social media platforms and accounts critical of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his policies. Critics argue that the pattern—from criminal cases to advertisement bans and regulatory action—points to an increasingly adversarial relationship between the government and sections of the media.
With the Hamdard case now formally buried, the focus has shifted from alleged corruption in a memorial project to larger questions about political vendetta, misuse of state machinery, and the shrinking space for dissent in Punjab.