The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its order on the maintainability of a public interest writ petition seeking a direction to the Central Bureau of Investigation to register a case against several real estate developer firms that had obtained licences for colonisation of land in Haryana under the State’s Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act.
Petitioner M. L. Sharma, a lawyer, has alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra had a stake in one of the firms — Skylight Hospitality Limited, and has sought directions for a High Court-monitored CBI investigation in the matter.
According to the petitioner, several licences were issued to developers and builders for turning 21,366 acre of agricultural land into colonies between 2005 and 2012 without complying with statutory rules. The decision had caused financial losses to the tune of Rs.3.9 lakh crore to the exchequer, states the writ petition.
A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, which has not issued a notice in the matter as yet, reserved its order after asking Mr. Sharma to make a clarification on the issue of the Court’s jurisdiction in the case.
Mr. Sharma said he had approached the CBI with a representation seeking registration of a first information report in the case, but the investigating agency had not even started a preliminary inquiry. He contended that the matter could be taken up before a judicial forum in Delhi as the top offices related to the case were situated here.
The petitioner pointed out that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had initiated an audit of licences issued to private developers by the government following a complaint. He sought registration of a criminal case under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Mr. Sharma has named Skylight Hospitality Limited, Mr. Vadra and DLF Universal Limited, among others, as beneficiaries of the government’s action.
