CBI raids ex-Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s residence in illegal land allocation case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today raided around 20 properties linked to former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in connection with the illegal release of land at Manesar in Gurgaon. The residence of Hooda in Rohtak has also been raided.

Apart from Hooda, who served as the chief minister of Haryana from 2004 to 2014, former Principal Secretary to the CM (PSCM) ML Tayal and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Member Chattar Singh’s residences were raided, as well.

“Searches are being carried out at 20 places in Rohtak, Gurgaon, Chandigarh and Delhi. The premises of Hooda, his two former personal secretaries and a serving Indian Administrative Service official are being searched by different teams. Some private companies are also under scanner,” a CBI official said.

The agency had registered the case last year in September on allegations that private builders in conspiracy with unknown public servants of Haryana Government had purchased around 400 acres of land from farmers and land owners of village Manesar, Naurangpur & Lakhnoula, District Gurgaon at throw away prices, showing the threat of acquisition by the government, during the period August 27, 2004 to August 24, 2007.

It is alleged that in this process, initially, the Haryana Government had issued a notification under the Land Acquisition Act for acquisition of land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an Industrial Model Township at Villages Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula in Gurgaon.

After that, all the land had allegedly been grabbed from the land owners by private builders under the threat of acquisition at meagre rates, CBI had said after registration of the case.

It is alleged that an order was also passed by the competent authority i.e. the Director of Industries on August 24, 2007 releasing this land from the acquisition process and the land was released in violation of the government policy, in favour of the builders, their companies and agents, instead of the original land owners.

The CBI has alleged in its FIR that in the said manner, land measuring about 400 acres whose market value at that time was above Rs 4 crore per acre approximately totalling about Rs 1,600 crore approximately was allegedly purchased by the private builders & others from the innocent land owners for only about Rs 100 crore.

It was alleged that a loss of Rs 1,500 crore was caused to the land owners of village Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula of Gurgaon.

The fresh raid comes few days after the Justice Dhingra led commission submitted its report to the Haryana government regarding the alleged dubious land deals during the 10-year-rule of Congress government in the state.