The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday released an official notification citing the possession of land worth Rs 64.93 crore in Panchkula which was allotted to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) by the Haryana government in 2005. The central investigation agency has issued provisional attachment order dated December 1, 2019, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Meanwhile, the CBI also filed a chargesheet against the former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others for their alleged involvement in the fraudulent allotment of land to AJL which is reportedly being controlled by senior Congress leaders including the members of the Gandhi family. The AJL group runs the National Heald newspaper.
The ED’s order read that the value of plot allotted to AJL represented proceeds of crime and hence the land has been attached under the PMLA act. The ED is now empowered to take possession of the land that would disallow any activity by anybody over the asset. The plot can now be transferred to the government exchequer once the trial in the case concluded in favour of the agency, said officials.
The investigation had found that then Haryana CM, Hooda misused his official position by dishonestly and fraudulently allotting the plot to AJL afresh in the guise of re-allotment at rates prevalent in 1982 plus interest despite the fact that the cancellation of allotment of the plot had earlier attained finality and it could not legally be re-allotted.
The agency also revealed that Hooda granted undue extensions thrice to AJL for construction of the said plot and after the acquisition, projected it as untainted property and furthered loans from the bank.
The CBI chargesheet against Hooda dated December 1, 2018 also named Congress leader Motilal Vora besides Hooda in connection with the case. The ED said the value of the land was Rs 64.93 while Hooda had allotted it for Rs 69.93 lakh. The CBI has alleged that the re-allotment of the plot, no C-17 located in Sector-6 of Panchkula has caused a loss to the exchequer.
The case is related to the plot allotted to AJL in Panchkula in 1982 for the publication of Hindi newspaper ‘Nav Jivan’ on which no construction took place until 1992. The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) then took back possession o the plot.
The ED had filed a PMLA complaint in this case in 2016 based on a CBI FIR which had taken over investigations in this case at the request of BJP government of Haryana and the criminal FIRs filed by the Haryana vigilance bureau.
