Manesar land scam: Hooda, aides told to appear in CBI court on April 19

Court to begin framing of charges against former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, officials and builders in Rs 1,500-crore scam.

india Updated: Mar 17, 2018 10:01 IST
The Rs 1,500-crore alleged scam pertains to misuse of the Land Acquisition Act. The CBI in its voluminous challan on February 2, charged Hooda, his aides and reality firms with criminal conspiracy and fraud.
The Rs 1,500-crore alleged scam pertains to misuse of the Land Acquisition Act. The CBI in its voluminous challan on February 2, charged Hooda, his aides and reality firms with criminal conspiracy and fraud. (HT File )

Taking cognisance of chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), a special CBI court here on Friday summoned former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his two former principal secretaries — Murari Lal Tayal and Chattar Singh — besides former director of the town and country planning department SS Dhillon and owners of realty firms in connection with the infamous Manesar land scam. The court of Jagdeep Singh has ordered their personal appearance on April 19, when the hearing for framing of charges begin.

The court’s decision comes four days after the Supreme Court set aside Hooda-led Congress government’s decision to drop the land acquisition proceedings over Manesar land.

The Rs 1,500-crore alleged scam pertains to misuse of the Land Acquisition Act. The CBI in its voluminous challan on February 2, charged Hooda, his aides and reality firms with criminal conspiracy and fraud.

ABW Group’s owner Atul Bansal, the CBI claimed, is the major beneficiary and is among the accused asked by the court to appear in person.

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) government under Om Prakash Chautala announced to acquire 912 acres for facilities in the Industrial Model Township (IMT), Manesar, in August 2004, just before the Congress came to power under Hooda in Haryana.

A large number of farmers, in haste, sold about 350 acres at throwaway prices of Rs 20-25 lakh per acre, fearing poor compensation. Another 50 acres were purchased by land sharks even as the government issued a notification for Rs 1.5 crore per acre of compensation.

Gurgaon-based realty firm — ABW Group — and other builders bought 459 acres in total through distress sale.

The Hooda government scrapped the acquisition process in 2007, only to later grant licences for housing and commercial development to the builders over 260 acres of that land. Soon after coming to power in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) regime in Haryana had ordered a CBI probe in 2015.

ABW Group’s owner Atul Bansal, the CBI claimed, is the major beneficiary and is among the accused asked by the court to appear in person.