ED to quiz Bhupinder Singh Hooda in laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is preparing to issue summons to former chief minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda for questioning. This comes days after a case was registered against him under the stringent provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with the alleged irregularities in the acquisition of 400 acres of land worth several crores of rupees by private firms in Manesar, Gurgaon in 2007.

“ED sleuths have scrutinised the FIR, registered by the CBI, and other related documents pertaining to the case. We may soon issue summons to the accused, including Hooda,” sources in the agency said. Hooda was the chief minister of Haryana for 10 years from 2004 to 2014. He was also holding the post of chairman of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).

The ED has filed a criminal complaint against Hooda based on the CBI’s FIR, under which the probe agency recently conducted searches in Haryana and the national capital.

The CBI in its FIR alleged that land measuring about 400 acres in the villages of Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula near Gurgaon in Haryana, whose market value at that time was above Rs 4 crore per acre and approximately totalling to about Rs 1,600 crore, was purchased by private builders from the innocent land owners for only about Rs 100 crore in 2007.

The CBI investigation revealed that private builders were in collusion with certain public servants of the Haryana government in achieving this fraudulent end. The CBI in its FIR alleged that the acquisition was ensured by threatening the farmers that the government was trying to acquire the land.

“In this process, initially, the Haryana government had issued notification 4, 6 and 9 of the Land Acquisition Act for acquisition of land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an Industrial Model Township in the villages of Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula. An order was also passed by the competent authority, that is, the Director of Industries, on August 24, 2007 releasing this land from the acquisition process.

The land was released in violation of government policy in favour of the builders, their