Robert Vadra land deal: Justice Dhingra report finds anomalies

The one-man judicial commission formed by Haryana government in May 2015 to probe the controversial land deals in the state, including the one involving Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, on Wednesday submitted its report to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, apparently finding irregularities in the deals.

Justice S.N. Dhingra, a former judge of Delhi high court who conducted the probe, presented a 182-page report to Mr Khattar, 15 months after he was appointed to probe land deals in Gurgaon during the tenure of the then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

While refusing to give details of the contents of the report, Justice Dhingra indicated that he had found irregularities in the grant of land licenses.

When asked by reporters whether the commission had found any irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, “Had there been no irregularity I would have given a one sentence report mentioning there is no irregularity. My report has 182 pages. Without it (irregularity), I did not have any reason to write 182 pages.”

Justice Dhingra said that it is for the government to act on the report, including making it public after laying it in the state Assembly. “I cannot disclose the contents of the report. It is the property of the state government which is to decide the timing of making public the report,” he said.

Replying to a query about the companies involved in the irregularities, he said, “I do not know about which particular company you (media) are talking. My mandate was to inquire about irregularity in grant of licenses.”

Asked whether any government official or private persons were involved in irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, “I have probed irregularity in grant of licenses and the manner in which these irregularities were committed and the persons who benefited from it. Rest, indictment, is for the state to proceed against whatever it considers against whom it is to proceed and against whom it is not to proceed. That is the state’s prerogative. I have named each and every person who is responsible, whether private or government. Any person who was involved in irregularity has been mentioned (in the report) and role has also been mentioned. Beyond that I would not tell you who were they and what was the role.”

Asked whether this report could be challenged, Justice Dhingra said, “If you know the law of this country, any order which is perfectly legal can also be challenged”. The commission had been given three extensions to submit its report.

The Khattar government had, on May 14, 2015, set up the one-man commission to probe the grant of license(s) for developing commercial colonies by the Department of Town and Country Planning to some entities in four villages of Gurgaon in Sector 83, including mutation of a land deal between a firm, Skylight Hospitality, owned by Mr Vadra and realty major DLF.

The commission had the mandate to probe the circumstances of the grant or rejection of the licences for the development of colonies, group housing societies and commercial complexes for which lands in Shikohpur, Sikanderpur, Badah and Kherki Dhaula were used.

It has also probed whether the transfer of licence by the original licencee within a short period of time was in violation of the law and caused a loss of revenue to the state government.

The land deals became a major issue in 2014 during the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in Haryana. Mr Vadra has been accused of transferring his licence to DLF in violation of the law and causing a huge loss of revenue.