Bikaner land deal case: BIG setback to Robert Vadra, Rajasthan High Court rejects plea to quash money laundering case

Robert Vadra, the husband of Congress general secretary Priyanka Vadra, is under the ED scanner in connection with the purchase of land in Bikaner.

Jaipur: In a big setback to Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the Rajasthan High Court on Thursday rejected his plea to quash the money laundering case registered against him and his mother Maureen Vadra in connection with the Bikaner land purchase scam. However, the high court granted interim protection to Robert Vadra from arrest in connection with the case. The high court is expected to pronounce its detailed order in two weeks.

The case pertains to an alleged money laundering case against Vadra in connection with the purchase of land in Bikaner. The hearing in the case was completed on Wednesday. The hearing was held in Rajasthan High Court on the petition filed by Skylight Hospitality LLP, a partnership firm of Robert Vadra and his mother Maureen Vadra. Apart from Skylight Hospitality, one Mahesh Nagar has also challenged the ED investigation in a single bench.

Senior advocate KTS Tulsi, appearing on behalf of the defence side, advocated for Vadra. The ED is investigating to collect evidence against the partners of Skylight Hospitality LLP company regarding the sale and purchase of land in Kolayat, Bikaner.

The court had earlier stayed the arrest of company partners Robert Vadra and his mother Maureen Vadra. Additional Solicitor General Rajdeepak Rastogi and his colleague, Senior Counsel Bhanuprakash Bohra, appeared on behalf of the other party in the case, the Union of India.

Rastogi said that the matter was of the year 2018. Then the Bikaner police had registered an FIR in Kolayat in connection with the purchase of government land on forgery. After the case was registered, the case was taken over by the CBI, which is under investigation.

Here the ED had registered an ECIR (enforcement case information report) in the case. During that time Robert Vadra, Liability Partner of Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, his mother Maureen Vadra and partner Mahesh Nagar approached the Rajasthan High Court.

The court had issued a third-party interim order granting them relief. Due to this, the interim stay on the arrest of Robert Vadra, his mother Maureen Vadra and Mahesh Nagar continues. The ED had earlier presented an application before the court to remove the interim stay on the arrest.