The Enforcement Directorate is initiating a money laundering probe on an FIR recently lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation for alleged irregularities in the acquisition of 1,417 acres of land in Gurugram between 2009 and 2012. The land was later released by the Haryana government and development licences issued to real estate firms, which had bought the plots from their owners at lower rates.
The agency will soon summon the accused persons and their associates for recording statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Acquisition order
As alleged, 15 private colonisers had conspired with the then Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was also the Minister In-charge of the Directorate of Town and Country Planning, and others to get the acquisition order issued. This had compelled the owners to sell their land to the real estate firms. The plots were located in Sectors 58 to 63 and 65 to 67 in Gurugram.
The CBI registered the case in January after a preliminary enquiry initiated in January 2018 on the directions of the Supreme Court. Among those named are Mr. Hooda, senior IAS official Trilok Chand Gupta, as the then Chief Administrator of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), and the companies involved.
The companies
The companies, as identified in the FIR, are Emaar MGF Land, Ansal Properties and Infrastructure, DLF New Gurgaon Homes Developers, JMD, R.S. Infrastructure, Martial Buildcon, Marconi Infratech, Commander Realtors, SU Estates, Buzz Hotels, Krrish Buildtech, Gupta Promoters, H.S. Realty, DSS Infrastructure and Sana Realtors.
“The preliminary enquiry has further established that the lands in question were released from acquisition process in spite of deviation and the licences were fraudulently obtained by the above said accused companies in the names of their collaborators and the land was released from acquisition process irregularly in connivance with public servants namely — Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Trilok Chand Gupta,” said the FIR.