Manesar land deal: CBI files chargesheet against ex-Haryana CM Hooda, 33 others

The CBI today filed its chargesheet against former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and 33 others in connection with the Manesar land deal case.

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed a chargesheet against former Haryana chief minister http://englishadmin.zeenews.india.com/haryana/cbi-grills-bhupinder-hooda-chattar-singh-in-land-allotment-case-2012256.htmlBhupinder Singh Hooda and 33 others in connection with the Manesar land deal case.

The chargesheet against Hooda and other accused was filed under various sections of IPC related to criminal conspiracy and cheating, and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Former UPSC member Chattar Singh, who was a senior officer in the Haryana government at that time, has also been named in the CBI chargesheet, PTI quoted a senior official as saying.

In its FIR, the CBI had alleged that the land measuring about 400 acres, whose market value at that time was above Rs 4 crore per acre, was allegedly purchased at a throw-away price from the innocent owners.  

Private builders and others purchased the land from innocent owners for only about Rs 100 crore in collusion with government officers, the CBI said in its FIR.

A loss of Rs 1,500 crore was allegedly caused to the land owners of Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula villages of Gurgaon, the CBI further alleged in the FIR.

A case in this regard was registered in September 2015 on allegations that private builders, in conspiracy with public servants of the Haryana government, had purchased the land at much cheaper rates showing the threat of acquisition by the government, during the period between August 27, 2004 -August 24, 2007.

In this process, the Haryana government had initially issued a notification under the Land Acquisition Act for the acquisition of land measuring about 912 acres for setting up of an industrial model township, it had said.

After the land had allegedly been grabbed from their owners by private builders under the threat of acquisition at cheaper rates, the government issued a fresh notification in 2007 and put the land out of the acquisition process, the agency had said.

(With PTI inputs)