SC orders probe into dropping of land from acquisition during Congress rule

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced a CBI probe into the matter on March 13, 2018

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed for CBI probe into dropping acquisition of 288 acres of land in Rohtak in favour of a real estate developer, Uddar Gagan Properties Limited, during the Congress-party rule in 2005-06.

A bench of Justices U U Lalit, Ajay Rastogi and Aniruddha Bose passed the order for CBI probe into matter, in trouble for former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The top court had, in May 2016, quashed the decision to drop the acquisition of land and directed for transferring the licence in favour of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) which was to develop residential and commercial sectors in Rohtak.

It had then asked the state government to inquire into the legality and bona fides of the action of those responsible for illegally entertaining the applications of the builder and releasing the land to it.

Current Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced in Assembly on March 13, 2018 for CBI probe in the matter. The state government, subsequently, preferred to order an inquiry by a retired judge. A probe conducted by a retired IAS officer Rajan Gupta, gave a report in 2017, pinning the blame on "failure of the system" in the matter. The state government, for its part, said the report cannot be accepted as it was "incomplete".