Hooda: Why former Industries Minister not named in chargesheet?

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 5

Former CM and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda questioned leaving out his Industries Minister as accused in the Manesar land scam during arguments, but the CBI Special Court ruled that the complainant or accused could move the application for it during the trial.

The case pertains to purchasing land from farmers at meagre rates in Manesar, Lakhnaula and Naurangpur villages in Gurugram and then earning huge profits by getting it released in connivance with bureaucracy and politicians.

As per the CBI, Rs 1,044 crore would have come as profit had the project of IMT Manesar been finalised for which the land was being acquired.

Regarding his order, dated August 24, 2007, for dropping land acquisition, which is cited as evidence of criminal conspiracy, Hooda said he could have “simply sat on the file for one day and the result would have been the same” but he acted like a “responsible public servant” and had ordered for a fresh notification.

After that, a committee recommended not initiating acquisition in its report on March 26, 2008.

The proposal for dropping acquisition proceedings was resubmitted on November 19, 2009, after Hooda’s re-election, with the concurrence of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) and the then Industries Minister approved the same on December 24, 2009.

Hooda said he had approved the recommendations of the Industries Minister on January 29, 2010.

He argued that “the fact that none of these officers who have approved the recommendations of the committee or the then Industries Minister have been arraigned as accused in the chargesheet filed by the CBI” and his implication “goes to show political vendetta”.

He claimed that the registration of the FIR came in the background of the statements made by CM Manohar Lal Khattar and other BJP leaders that he would be sent to jail in land scams.