Page 33 - 31DEC2018E

Court POLITICS

cases

land • Leading from front Apparently there is no
leader of Hooda’s stature in the state Congress
ed Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The tallest
Hooda in Jat leader in Haryana has been charged
with defrauding people by releasing
public land at Manesar in Gurugram
trouble district of Haryana. Besides the aJL plot
scam, the vetreran Congress leader is
facing two other CBI cases at present,
including the Manesar land scam and
Panchkula Industrial plot scam. All of
the cases are of a very serious nature
As the Parliamentary and and have the potential to put him be-
Assembly elections draw near, hind bars if the court finds him guilty.
On May 1 this year, the Panchkula
Haryana’s former chief Special Central Bureau of Investigation
minister Bhupinder Singh (CBI) court granted bail to Bhupinder
Hooda finds himself embroiled Singh Hooda in connection with Mane-
sar land scam. Hooda, who failed to
in increasing number of land turn up for previous hearing had been
scam-related court cases, excused earlier from attending the
writes RAJENDRA KHATRY hearing on health grounds.
In the Manesar land scam allega-
tions are that hundreds of acres of land
aryana’s former chief plot in Panchkula to the AJL which in the state Assembly elections. Under der Singh Hooda in the Associate Jou- There is no doubt acquired from farmers of Manesar and
minister Bhupinder Singh allegedly is controlled by the Sonia Hooda’s regime in the year 2005, the nals Limited case on illegal re-allot- adjoining villages in Gurgaon district
Hooda’s troubles seem Gandhi family. same plot of land was re-allotted to the ment of land to the promotors of the that Hooda for public purpose was licensed to real
to be increasing with the The re-allotment of the plot caused AJL at its original rates. It was alleged English daily National Herald. The de- estate companies, builders. Coloniz-
H passing of each day. As the immense loss to the state exchequer. then that Hooda was working under cision to hand over the plot case to the continues to be the ers after giving out of turn favours and
Parliamentary and Assembly elections According to an estimate of the CBI, the pressure from senior Congress leaders CBI was given by the Manohar Lal Khat- strongest Congress concessions. The CBI had registered a
in Haryana draw near, AJL and other re-allotment caused a loss to the tune to please the political masters, because tar led BJP government in Haryana af- FIR in the case more than two years ago
land related cases may trouble the vet- of 67 crore to the government. The despite the advice given by some offic- ter it received the report of the Haryana leader in Haryana on December 17, 2015.
eran Congress leader more in the days re-allotment was done when Bhupin- ers in the Haryana government Chief state Vigilance Bureau (SVB). The SVB and his weakening In the Panchkula Industrial Plot
to come. Already other Congress lead- der Singh Hooda was the Chief Minister Minister Hooda re-allotted the plot of had registered a case of cheating and scam, allegations were that industrial
ers including Randeep Singh Surjewala of Haryana. Hooda also happened to be land to the AJL. corruption against former Chief Min- will have a direct plots were given to 14 people by alleg-
and Haryana Congress president Ashok the Chairman of the Haryana Urban According to the charge sheet filed ister and HUDA chairman Bhupiner bearing on the edly manipulating certain provisions
Tanwar from the Dalit community development Authority (HUDA). Moti- by the CBI, this allegedly violated the Singh Hooda. of allotment. These included allowing
are vying for the state leadership and lal Vora was the then the chairman of laid down norms in the allotment and Now Hooda has accused the state state politics them to submit their applications even
replace Hooda. Still there is no doubt the AJL. re-allotment of plots by the then HUDA BJP government of following a policy after the last date of submission had
that Hooda continues to be the strong- The allegation was made under the Chairman Hooda. Now the Enforce- of revenge and charged the Leader of ended. The FIR alleged that ineligible
est Congress leader in Haryana and his Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related ment Directorate (ED) has attached the Opposition in the Assembly with be- beneficiaries were allotted plots at rates
weakening will have a direct bearing on to criminal conspiracy and the provi- same plot of land in Panchkula which ing hand in glove with the Manohar Lal people of Haryana. lower than prevailing market rates. This
the state politics as there is no leader of sions of the Prevention of Corruption was allotted to the AJL under the anti- Khattar dispensation for registration of Incidentally AJL is not the only case caused loss of several crore rupees to
his stature in the state Congress. Act. Interestingly the CBI alleged in the money laundering law. The a case in re-allotment of a plot to AJL. that Hooda is facing. A spate of land the state exchequer.
In the latest development involving charge sheet that that AJL was allotted CBI alleged that the re-allotment of Hooda, however claimed that no rule scams in Haryana have landed senior Hooda is also facing trouble with re-
Bhupinder Singh Hooda, a Special CBI a plot of land in Panchkula in 1982 with the plot C-17 in Panchkula, Haryana to was violated in the re-allotment of plot Congress leader and former Chief Min- gard to Rohtak Land Acquisition scam
court in Panchkula, Haryana has sum- the condition that construction must be the AJL led to a huge loss to the state ex- to AJL. ister of the state in deep trouble from in which Haryana Chief Minister Mano-
moned him and senior Congress leader done in a year’s time, but no construc- chequer. Under the BJP government’s Hooda said that the BJP govern - where he will find it very difficult to har Lal had recommended a CBI probe.
Motilal Vora in the Associated Journals tion took place for 10 long years till the rule, on April 5, 2017, the CBI registered ment is now following a policy of extricate himself. The former CM faces Embroiled in these cases, Hooda will
Limited (AJL) land case on January 3, year 1992. It was then that HUDA subse- a case on the request of the Haryana ‘badla’ (revenge). He said the Manohar allegations of multiple land scams, find it very difficult to concentrate on
2019. Earlier the CBI had filed a charge quently took back the possession of the government after taking over the in- Lal Khattar-led Haryana government which have put a question mark on his the forthcoming Lok Sabha and Vidhan
sheet against Hooda and Vora in con- land allotted to the AJL. vestigation in the case. has failed to deliver all its election political prospects. Sabha elections in Haryana next year.
nection with the alleged irregularities Haryana Congress came to power Earlier, the Haryana Governor S N promises to the people and has done Earlier the verdict by the Supreme
in the re-allotment of an institutional in the year 2005 after winning 67 seats Arya sanctioned to presecute Bhupin- practically nothing for the welfare of Court in the Manesar land scam indict- LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

TEHELKA / 31 DECEMBER 2018 32 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 31 DECEMBER 2018 33 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

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