No violation of rules in Robert Vadra-DLF deal; SIT probing financial transactions

Chandigarh: No violation of rules or regulations were found in the transfer of land by businessman Robert Vadra's Skylight Hospitality to realty major DLF, the Haryana government has told the Punjab and Haryana High Court here.

The investigation was linked to an FIR registered against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, and some others in September 2018 in Gurugram.

In an affidavit placed before the court on Wednesday, the government said, "It was reported by Tehsildar, Manesar, Gurugram that M/s Skylight Hospitality sold 3.5-acre land to M/s DLF Universal Limited on September 18, 2012, and no regulation/rules have been violated in the said transaction".

However, the Haryana Police is probing the record of financial transactions that had taken place during the said deal.

"A new SIT has been constituted on 22.03.2023 comprising DCP, two ACPs, one Inspector and one ASI for further investigation," states the affidavit.

The BJP had alleged irregularities in the land deals during the then Congress regime in Haryana and it became a major poll issue during the 2014 elections.

The affidavit states that an FIR was registered against Hooda and some other accused persons in September 2018 under various provisions of the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act at police station Kherki Daula, Gurugram.

The FIR was registered on the complaint of Surinder Sharma, resident of Nuh, in which he alleged irregularities in the land deals.

The Congress party, Hooda and Vadra have always denied any wrongdoing.

"As per report received from Tehsildar, Wazirabad, Gurugram, it was clearly stated that the land in question has not been found in the name of M/s DLF Universal Limited and the said land still exists in the name of HSVP/HSIIDC, Haryana," the affidavit said.

The complainant in the September 2018 FIR had then also alleged that 350 acres of land was allotted to DLF at Wazirabad in Gurugram in violation of rules.

The affidavit was submitted before the court by Dr Raj Shri Singh, Inspector General of Police (Crime), Gurugram, which also states that the SIT is yet to record statements of some stakeholders while certain records or clarifications were yet to be received from various banks involved in the case and some government departments.

The affidavit was placed before the court in connection with the ongoing "court on its own motion" public interest litigation for monitoring the progress of cases against sitting and former MPs and MLAs.

IAS officer Ashok Khemka had in 2012 cancelled the mutation of the 3.5 acres land deal between Skylight Hospitality and the DLF in Manesar-Shikohpur in Gurugram district.

Mutation is part of the process to transfer ownership of a piece of land.

The mutation was set aside by Khemka on grounds that the assistant consolidation officer, who had sanctioned it, was not competent to do so.