No rules violated in Skylight Hospitality-DLF land deal: Haryana in HC

The Haryana government informed this through an affidavit submitted by Dr Raj Shri Singh, Inspector General of Police, Crime, Gurugram, before a bench of Justices Augustine George Masih and Harpreet Singh Brar.

The HC is hearing the suo motu matter pertaining to the pendency of cases against the sitting and former MP and MLAs in the states of Punjab and Haryana, and Union territory of Chandigarh.

As per the affidavit, as on date, eight cases registered against MPs and MLAs in Haryana are under investigation out which six pertain to the state vigilance bureau.

Mentioning about the land transfer case, the affidavit stated: “It was reported by tehsildar Manesar, Gurugram that Skylight Hospitality sold 3.5 acre (land in question) to DLF Universal Limited on September 18, 2012 and no regulation/rules have been violated in said transaction. As per report received from tehsildar, Wazirabad, Gurugram, it was clearly stated that the land in question has not been found in the name of DLF Universal Limited and the said land still exists in the name of HSVP/HSIIC, Haryana.”

The affidavit also mentioned that the Haryana government has formed a new special investigation team (SIT) on March 22 — comprising one DCP, two ACPs, one Inspector and one ASI — for probing the FIR pertaining to the suspected irregularities in the land transaction between Skylight Hospitality and realty major DLF Ltd in Gurugram’s Shikohpur.

The Gurugram police had on September 1, 2018, registered a criminal case against Hooda, Vadra and others under Sections 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using a forged document or electronic record as genuine) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 13 of Prevention of Corruption Act (criminal misconduct by a public servant).

It was in October 2012 when the senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka had cancelled the mutation of the 3.531-acre plot at Shikohpur village near Manesar in Gurgram that Vadra had sold to DLF Universal for Rs 58 crore.
Khemka , who was Director General, Consolidation of Holdings and Land Records-cum-Inspector General of Registration, had set aside the mutation of the prime piece of land before relinquishing charge of office. The 1991-batch IAS officer was transferred from the department on the orders of then CM Hooda on October 11, 2012, hours after he started looking into Vadra’s land deals in the state.

The mutation was set aside on the grounds that the assistant consolidation officer, who had sanctioned it, was not competent to do so.

While cancelling the mutation, Khemka, in his order, had mentioned that “the village of Shikohpur was notified under 14(1) of the East Punjab Holdings (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948, on August 5, 2011, and transfer of property during the pendency of consolidation proceedings without the sanction of the consolidation officer was prohibited”.

Meanwhile, among the list of other cases, the Haryana government affidavit also mentioned about the FIR registered against then chief minister Om Parkash Chautala, who booked under Section 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act in a case registered on October 18, 2005, over alleged irregularities and malpractices in recruitment. The allegations related to selection having been made on political and extraneous considerations. Detailing about the FIR,, the affidavit said, “On the basis of investigation conducted, no involvement of Om Parkash Chautala, the then CM, has been found in this case. The Hon’ble Governor of Haryana vide D.O letter dated December 13/14, 2022, has sent the prosecution sanction in said case to the Hon’ble President of India.”