ED to question Robert Vadra's aide in Bikaner land deal; CBI to probe AJL Panchkula case

New Delhi: The Rajasthan High Court has directed an official of Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd, a firm linked to Robert Vadra, to appear before Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a land case in Bikaner district.

Skylight Hospitality employee Mahesh Nagar had filed a plea against summons issued by the ED to appear before it.

The court, however, rejected his PIL and asked him to cooperate and appear before the ED.

Nagar was summoned by the ED as he is said to be the key link in all the land deals.

Summons were issued against Skylight Hospitality LLP, a private limited company allegedly linked to Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, in connection with the ongoing money laundering and land-grab cases in Bikaner.

Skylight Hospitality had bought 69.55 hectares of land in Bikaner in January 2010.

Robert Vadra has categorically denied all allegations and accused BJP of taking political vendetta – a charge dismissed by the party.

The Rajasthan Police have registered 18 land-grab cases. In October 2014, based on the findings, the Rajasthan government issued orders for cancellation of the original allotments of the land involved. The ED has also launched money laundering investigations and recently conducted searches in the State.

The company has, in its statement to the media, said it had instituted civil suits for recovery and damages, adding: “Skylight Hospitality Private Limited or Robert Vadra are victims of the original wrongful allotments, fraud and consequent sale of said land to them in Kolayat.”

CBI to probe Associated Journals plot allotment

Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana government has handed over the enquiry into the alleged re-allotment of a plot to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) in Panchkula in 2005 to the CBI.

Notably, Haryana State Vigilance Bureau had registered a case of cheating and corruption against former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and four HUDA officials for allegedly realloting a plot to AJL in 2005.

The case under various IPC sections, including criminal breach of trust by a public servant, cheating, criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against Hooda, the then Haryana Urban Development Authority chairman, a post held by him ex-officio as the CM, and four of its top officials then, on May 5 this year.

The plot had been initially allotted to AJL, the owner of National Herald newspaper, in 1982.

After the expiry of the lease period in 1996, the then Haryana Vikas Party government led by Bansi Lal resumed its possession.

It was reallotted to AJL after the Congress leader came to power in 2005.

The vigilance bureau had alleged that the act by the then HUDA chairman and the officials had caused a huge financial loss to the public sector undertaking as the plot should have been sold through open auction instead of being allotted again to AJL.