PATIALA:  Former Punjab chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh is likely to appear in front of the Privileges Committee of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Capt. Singh was summoned along with former local bodies minister Ch Jagjit Singh on June 25 in connection with exemption of 32.10 acres of prime land, worth Rs 100 crore, located along the Amritsar-Jalandhar highway. 

Capt. Singh was in new moti bagh palace today and could not be contacted as he did not attend his phone. Sources of palace however confirmed that he will attend the meeting.

Both congress leaders were called by the privileges committee on June 23 but due to request of some members of the committee the date has shifted to June 25. 

Congress MLA Bir Devinder Singh had raised the issue of exempting the land in a hush-hush manner on February 28, last year, during the stint of Capt Amarinder Singh as Chief Minister. On this, the protesting Shiromani Akali Dal, the opposition party at that time, had stalled the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly, demanding that a special committee of the House be set up to probe allegations against Jagjit Singh. 

It was alleged that 32.10 acres of prime land was wrongly exempted from acquisition to benefit private builders and cause a loss to the state exchequer.

Capt. Singh is likely to raise the matter which was already in court and there will be no need of the privileges committee to hear it, said sources.