Ex-Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda questioned by CBI in Manesar land deal case

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials on Monday questioned former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in connection with Manesar land deal scam.

A CBI spokesperson said that he was being questioned.

Hooda was recently quizzed by the agency in connection with alleged irregularities in the allotment of industrial plots in Panchkula.

The agency had registered the case in September 2015 on allegations that private builders in conspiracy with unknown public servants of the Haryana government had purchased around 400 acres of land from farmers and land owners of village Manesar, Naurangpur and Gurgaon at throwaway prices.

The land was allegedly purchased showing the threat of acquisition by the government, during the period August 27, 2004 to August 24, 2007.

It is alleged that in this process, initially, the Haryana government had issued a notification under the Land Acquisition Act for acquisition of land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an industrial model township at villages in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula in Gurgaon.

After that, all the land had allegedly been grabbed from the land owners by private builders under the threat of acquisition at meagre rates, the CBI had said after registration of the case.