Congress questions Bank of Baroda U-turn on notice to auction Sunny Deol's Mumbai bungalow to recover Rs 56 cr

The auction announcement concerning the bungalow in the posh Juhu locality of Mumbai owned by actor and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sunny Deol has been retracted by the state-owned Bank of Baroda, leading to concerns being raised by the Congress party. Sunny Deol's residence had been scheduled for auction by the Bank of Baroda to recover a sum of Rs 56 crore. The e-auction was slated for August 25. The Gurdaspur MP had defaulted on a loan of Rs 55.99 crore from the Bank of Baroda since December 2022.

The bank had initially declared on Sunday that the auction for the property known as "Sunny Villa" in Juhu would begin at a base price of Rs 51.43 crore, with the minimum bid set at Rs 5.14 crore.

Moreover, the property, which spans 599.44 square meters and houses both Sunny Villa and Sunny Sounds, was also set to be put up for auction. Sunny Sounds is a company associated with the Deol family and serves as the corporate guarantor for the loan, with Dharmendra, the father of Sunny Deol, acting as the personal guarantor.

The announcement on Sunday outlined that the Deol family still had the option to settle their outstanding debt with the bank to avert the auction as per the stipulations of the SARFAESI Act of 2002.

But on Monday morning, the bank withdrew the auction notice. The corrigendum issued by the bank read, 'Corrigendum to E Auction Sale Notice dated 19.08.2023 published in The Times of India Mumbai Edition (Pg.3) dated 20.08.2023 with regards to Sale Notice in respect of Mr. Ajay Sing Deol Alias Mr. Sunny Deol Stands Withdrawn due to Technical Reasons for the below mentioned Property:All That piece and parcel of land bearing Survey No. 41 Hissa No 5 (Pt) CTS No. 173 of Village Juhu Taluka Andheri Mumbai Suburban Dist, Admeasuring 599.44 Sq Mtrs underneath a structure known as Sunny Villa situated at Gandhigram Road Juhu Mumbai 400049. Bearing New Municipal assessment No. 00121047 situated in registration District and Sub district of Mumbai Suburban.'

Responding to the bank's move, the Congress party questioned the origins of the "technical reasons" behind the withdrawal.

"Yesterday afternoon, the nation was informed that Bank of Baroda had arranged for the e-auction of BJP MP Sunny Deol's Juhu residence due to his unpaid Rs 56 crore debt to the bank. This morning, in less than 24 hours, it's come to light that the Bank of Baroda has retracted the auction notice due to 'technical reasons.' Curious to know who triggered these 'technical reasons'?" wrote Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Sunny Deol's spokesperson addressed the situation, stating, "We are actively resolving this matter, and it will be resolved. We kindly request refraining from further speculation on the issue." Meanwhile, on the professional front, Sunny Deol's film 'Gadar 2' is currently making waves at the box office.