ED files prosecution complaint against Hooda, 20 others in industrial plot allotment case

Bhartesh Singh Thakur  

Tribune News Service  

Chandigarh, February 16  

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a Prosecution Complaint (PC) against former CM and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and 20 others, in an alleged fraudulent industrial plot allotment, under the various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, before a special PMLA court in Panchkula.  

The PC is filed under Sections 3 (money laundering), 4 (punishment for money laundering), 44 (offences triable by special courts), 45 (offences to be congnizable and non-bailable) and 70 (offences by companies) of the PMLA.  

Former Chief Administrator Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) DPS Nagal, former administrator HUDA Surjit Singh, former HUDA Chief Finance Controller SC Kansal, former HUDA Deputy Superintendent BB Taneja and firms M/s YPT Entertainment House Pvt Ltd and M/s Chandigarh Softech Pvt Ltd are named as accused.  

The other accused are Narinder Singh Solanki, Anupam Sud, Kanwar Preet Singh Sandhu, Renu Hooda, Mona Beri, Aman Gupta, Nandita Hooda, Ashok Verma, Dr Ganesh Dutt Rattan, Dagar Katyal, Sidharth Bhardwaj, Lt Col OP Dahiya (retd), Pawan Kansal and Manjot Kaur.  

As per the PC, the criminal incident pertained to 2011-12 during the Congress government in the state. Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda was the chairman of HUDA. 

The plots were located in Industrial Area Phase-1 of Panchkula and ranged from 496 sq mt, offered at Rs 31.74 lakh, to 1,280 sq mt, offered at Rs 64 lakh. The investigating agencies have alleged that the market price was much higher at the time of allotment.  

Earlier, on Advocate General’s recommendation in 2015, the State Vigilance Bureau of Haryana had registered the case for cheating, forgery, disappearance of evidence, destruction of document to prevent its production as evidence, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy against the accused.  

It came out that the last date of filing application for plots was January 6, 2012 but the criteria was allegedly changed on January 24, 2012. It is further claimed that the allotments were made to ineligible people, who were either close to officials or favourites of politicians, at lower rates than the market price.   

The file related to the allotments also went missing.  

Later, the case was transferred to the CBI which lodged the FIR in 2016.  

The ED also started investigations, alleging that the plots were allotted to those closer to the former CM. It had attached the 14 industrial plots “worth Rs 30.34 crore” on August 29, 2019.  

The next date of hearing is February 18. “The matter is sub judice. I have full faith in judiciary. Nothing wrong was done. The truth will come out,” said former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda.