The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed charge sheet against former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in connections with a major land acquisition scam. The charge sheet was filed in the special CBI court located in Panchkula, Haryana.
Central Bureau of Investigation has filed charge-sheet against former Haryana CM BS Hooda and 33 others in Panchkula court in connection to a land acquisition scam causing loss of around Rs 1500 crore to farmers of Gurugram.
— ANI (@ANI) February 2, 2018
The senior Congress leader and former CM was named in a major land deal scam. The charge sheet also involved 33 other names alongside Hooda. During the tenure of the Hooda led Congress government in Haryana it was alleged that he and the other accused have acquired about 900 acres of land in Manesar and nearby areas. The land acquisition scam is believed to have caused the farmers a loss of around 1500 crores.
According to reports, this charge sheet is in connection with a case filed by CBI last year. According to the case, the Government of Haryana conspired with some public servants and acquired lands of farmers in Manesar, Nouranpur and Lakhnoula area.
In September 2016, the Enforcement Directorate had registered an FIR against Hooda and several others, including IAS officers and builders in connections with the same allegations. Following that in May last year, the ED had conducted raids in 10 different locations in Delhi and Haryana under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The FIR was filed by CBI. Based on that the ED proceeded to file a criminal complaint against Hooda and his associates in the scam.
The CBI had alleged that the Haryana government had issued a notification under the Land Acquisition Act for acquiring land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an Industrial Model Township. But the farmers and landowners got no benefit from it because all the plots were sold to private builders at meagre rates. Then an order was passed by the Director of Industries on August 24, 2007. The order released this land from the acquisition process in violation of the government policy, in favour of the builders, their companies and agents. Hence the farmers and people who actually owned the land got no benefit from it.The land acquisitions happened between 2004 to 2007.
