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Time of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Manesar land scam: Court to rule on charges against 3 more accused
Panchkula: In a significant development in the Manesar land scam, a special CBI court has opted to first decide on framing charges against three more people before consolidating the chargesheet against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and 30 others. Special CBI Judge Rajiv Goyal made the ruling last Friday, following the Punjab and Haryana high court's vacation of a stay on proceedings. The three individuals facing potential charges are former IAS officer D R Dhingra and private persons Dhare Singh and Kulwant Singh Lamba. The court has scheduled July 10 for resumed arguments regarding the chargesheet against this trio. The extensive case implicates former CM Hooda, his three ex-principal secretaries – Murari Lal Tayal (also facing another trial), S S Dhillon, and Chhattar Singh – as well as various companies and their office bearers involved in the controversial land transactions. The Supreme Court has stayed proceedings against another accused bureaucrat, Rajiv Arora, who was named in the initial chargesheet. The scam revolves around 914 acres of land in Manesar, Gurugram district, originally slated for acquisition to develop an Industrial Model Township (IMT). Following the Aug 2004 notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, a rush to acquire land at low prices ensued. Builders and land mafia reportedly capitalised on residents' panic, acquiring plots at "throwaway rates". Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo In 2007, the industrial department released the land from the acquisition process. Allegations of political patronage in the builder-official-land mafia nexus led aggrieved parties to court. Ultimately, the Supreme Court directed the CBI to probe the matter, leading to the chargesheet naming former CM Hooda. MSID:: 121731795 413 |
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
High court dismisses plea against trial in Manesar land scam involving Hooda, others
Chandigarh: With the Punjab and on Thursday dismissing petitions filed against continuing of trial in the , decks have been cleared for resuming the trial against former Haryana chief minister and other accused. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The accused include some former bureaucrats such as S S Dhillon, Chhatar Singh, and M L Tayal, who served as principal secretaries to the then CM, as well as some builders. The trial against Hooda, bureaucrats, and builders came to a halt in Dec 2020 after some of the bureaucrats and builders approached HC. Hooda, however, did not approach HC but benefited from the stay on the trial. Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul passed these orders while dismissing a bunch of petitions filed by some bureaucrats and builders who were summoned for trial in the case. The order regarding the dismissal of the petitions was announced in the open court by the judge but a copy of the order was not available until the filing of this report. The CBI had sought vacation of the stay on trial. In Feb 2018, the CBI submitted a chargesheet against Hooda and 33 others, including three former Haryana bureaucrats who worked with him in CMO, real estate companies, and the officials of the department of town and country planning Haryana, in relation to a land acquisition scam causing a loss of around Rs 1,500 crore to farmers of Gurgaon district. The main allegations in the entire scam are that hundreds of acres of land acquired from farmers of Manesar and adjoining villages in Gurgaon district at a low rate for "public purpose" was later licensed to real estate companies/builders/colonizers after bestowing out-of-term favours and concessions. Later in 2020, the CBI judge also summoned some more bureaucrats. CBI filed FIR in 2015 On Sep 17, 2015, CBI registered an FIR in relation to the scam, according to which, the Hooda-led state govt issued a notification in 2004 under sections 4, 6, and 9 of the Land Acquisition Act for the acquisition of around 912 acres for setting up an Industrial Model Township (IMT) at Manesarand other places in Gurgaon. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now After that, around 400 acres of the said land was allegedly grabbed from landowners by private builders under the threat of acquisition at meagre rates. Later, an order was also passed by the director of industries on Aug 24, 2007, releasing this 400-acre land from the acquisition process in favour of the builders, their companies, and agents, instead of the original landowners. "In the said manner, land measuring about 400 acres, whose market value at that time was around Rs 4 crore per acre, totalling around Rs 1,600 crore, was allegedly purchased by private builders and others from landowners for only around Rs 100 crore," stated the FIR. The FIR said this caused an alleged loss of Rs 1,500 crore to landowners of three villages of Gurgaon district.
