Herald case: Hooda booked

He re-allotted land for company, says CBI

 The CBI has registered a case against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda over the reallotment of a plot of land to the company which runs the Congress-controlled National Herald newspaper, causing a loss of Rs 62 lakh to the exchequer.

A case of cheating and conspiracy was filed against Hooda and Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Thursday.

AJL is controlled by senior Congress leaders, including the Gandhi family, through Young India Ltd.

According to the FIR, the institutional plot in sector 6 in Haryana’s Panchkula was allotted to AJL by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) on August 24, 1982. The land measured 3,500 square metres.

“As per the terms and conditions of allotment, it was necessary for the company to start the construction over the plot within six months from the date of delivery of possession and to complete the construction within two years,” a CBI statement said.

But the company failed to do so within the given time. “Hence, the allotment was cancelled. The appeals filed against cancellation of allotment have been dismissed," it said.

However, the CBI claimed that Hooda, as the chairman of HUDA, “reallocated” the plot on August 28, 2005 to the company at original rates plus interest in violation of the rules and by misusing his official position.

Further, another order was issued allowing the starting of construction on the plot within six months and completing it within two years, causing a loss of around Rs 62 lakh to Haryana government.