CBI SEARCHING RESIDENCE OF FORMER HARYANA CM BHUPINDER SINGH HOODA'S AND OTHER LOCATIONS

By Tricitynews Reporter

Chandigarh 03^rd September:- CBI swung into action after Prime Minister  Narender Remarks remarks that action against  Robert Vadra 's land deals not as revenge due to politics, CBI carries out searches at the residence of former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and other 19 locations in a land allotment case, which was  registered last year after formation of  BJP Govt. in Haryana led by Manohar Lal Khattar. The raids come two days after Hooda demanded that the Manohar Lal Khattar government make the Justice SN Dhingra Commission report public and accused it of indulging in 'witch-hunt' and 'sensationalising facts'."I demand that the Government make the Dhingra Commission report public soon and stop this witch-hunt and sensationalising of facts," Hooda , who was the chief minister when the deals were signed, said.In July, 2016, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had registered a case against Hooda and the Associated Journal Ltd under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a disproportionate land allotment case. When Hooda was the chief minister, he allocated the land to Associated Journal Ltd in Panchkula under wrong terms. For this land allocation, the loss for the state government revenue ran into crores.Hooda is already under CBI scanner for alleged irregularities in the allocation of industrial plots when he was chairman of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).

 Searches have been conducted at the premises in Rohtak, Panchkula, Gurugram, Chandigarh and Delhi. Two of the former CM’s close aides include a serving IPS officer, whose premise was also searched. Last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General had said that undue favours were extended to private builders, including Robert Vadra’s Skylight Hospitality, by the Haryana government. 

It is alleged that the 14 plots, ranging from 496 sq.m, were allegedly allotted at throwaway prices. Those allotted the plots included Renu Hooda, Manjot Kaur, Nandita Hooda among others. All of them were related to politicians, bureaucrats and other influential people which included Hooda. Searches have been conducted at the premises in Rohtak, Panchkula, Gurugram, Chandigarh and Delhi. Two of the former CM’s close aides include a serving IPS officer, whose premise was also searched.Last year, the Comptroller and Auditor General had said “undue favours” were extended to private builders, including Robert Vadra’s Skylight Hospitality, by the Haryana government. Hooda was the chief minister of Haryana for 10 years from 2004 to 2014. The BJP and other opposition parties have accused the previous Hooda government of extending favours to the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi especially in his land deal with realty company DLF.Though the CAG report did not name Vadra, his company, Skylight Hospitality, was named. Skylight Hospitality, the report noted, sold a prime 3.5 acre piece of land in Manesar in Gurgaon district to DLF in 2008 for Rs 58 crore. Earlier, senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka had ordered the scrapping of the land deal, terming it as illegal.