Manesar land deal: Stay vacated, Hooda and others to face trial

Chandigarh: Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is in thick soup as the Punjab and Haryana High Court has vacated the stay on the trial in the Manesar Land deal case. Now, the trial will start in district courts Panchkula.

The trial in this case was stayed for about 4 years by the High Court following a petition for the same by the alleged accused. After the order of the High Court, now the hearing of the case will start in the CBI court.

“CBI has already submitted chargesheet against Hooda and 33 others in this case. Besides, the former Chief Minister, some officers and builders are also accused in the case by CBI. In 2019, CBI presented a chargesheet of 80,000 in the court.

On 27 August 2004, a notification was issued for the acquisition of 912 acres of land in Manesar, Lakhnoula, Naurangpur to build an industrial township. The state government excluded 224 acres of land from this process, 688 acres of land remained under the scope of acquisition.

“In August 2014, private builders in connivance with some officers, by threatening farmers and landowners with acquisition, bought about 400 acres of their land at the rate of Rs 25 lakh per acre. The builders bought 400 acres of land worth about Rs 1,600 crore for just Rs 100 crore. Later, the government cancelled the project and in connivance with the officers, issued CLU licenses to the builders.”

Former Manesar Sarpanch Omprakash had filed a complaint in Manesar police station on 12 August 2015. After this, on 15 September 2015, CBI took over this case. In this case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also registered a case of money laundering against former CM Bhupendra Singh Hooda in September 2016. ED had registered a criminal case against Hooda and others on the basis of CBI’s FIR.”