Chandigarh, Oct. 1 -- A Mohali court has acquitted all 11 accused in a 38-year-old case concerning alleged irregularities in the acquisition of land for the Ranjit Sagar Dam project and fraudulent payment of excess compensation.

Additional sessions judge Rajesh Ahluwalia, in an order dated September 29, granted the accused the benefit of doubt, holding that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

Those acquitted are Chattar Singh, Diwan Chand, Gulshan Singh, Puran Singh, Dhian Singh, Swaran Singh, Chaman Lal, Dev Raj, Kishan Chand, Inderjit Singh and then BDPO Shiv Rattan Kumar.

The case stemmed from an FIR registered by the Vigilance Bureau in 2005 over allegations that the recorded area of shamlat...