The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached a plot of land allotted by then Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) at Panchkula in connection with a money laundering case.
Plot No C-17, Sector-6, Panchkula of AJL was attached under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on December 1, the ED said in a statement on Monday. The CBI had filed an FIR against Hooda and others for fraudulent allotment of the land to AJL in 2005. As a sequel to CBI FIR, a case was registered by the ED under PMLA in 2016.
The CBI has now filed the charge sheet in the competent court on December 1.
The ED probe in the PMLA case has revealed that the plot number C-17, Sector 6, Panchkula was originally allotted to the AJL in 1982 following a request from the company to start ‘Nav-Jivan’ newspaper. As the AJL did not comply with the terms and conditions of the allotment, the Estate Officer, HUDA, Panchkula vide order dated October 30, 1992 ordered to resume the said plot on the ground that the allottee i.e. AJL violated the requisite terms and conditions of the allotment letter by not starting the construction and completing the same within stipulated period, the ED said.
Against the order of the Estate Officer, the AJL filed an appeal before the Chief Administrator, HUDA and the Appellate Authority dismissed the appeal on January 3. 1995. Against this order, the AJL preferred revision application before the Commissioner and Secretary to Government Haryana, Town and Country Planning Department, Haryana, (TCP) who also dismissed the same on October 10, 1996.
After the dismissal of the revision petition, the resumption order attained finality. Thereafter, AJL tried to get the plot restored during the tenure of Bansi Lal the then CM of Haryana. The request of the AJL was declined by Bansi Lal, the agency further said.
Hooda became the CM of Haryana on March 5, 2005 and Congress treasurer and AJL functionary Moti Lal Vora vide his letter dated April 7, 2005 requested Hooda to re-allot the said plot to AJL. Hooda then initiated the process of allotting back the said plot to AJL. During the course of this process, the land department of Haryana opined that the said plot cannot be re-allotted to AJL as the resumption of the plot by HUDA had attained finality. The officers of the HUDA and TCP also advised the then CM that the request of AJL could not be accepted.
However, Hooda allegedly misused his official position by allotting the said plot to the AJL afresh in the guise of re allotment at the rates prevalent in 1982 plus interest (i.e. at the rate of Rs 91 per sq mt) despite the fact that the cancellation of allotment of the plot to AJL earlier had already attained finality and it could not be re-allotted legally.