The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over a case of alleged corruption registered against former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who was chairman of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), and others in connection with “irregular” allocation of 14 Panchkula industrial plots in 2012.
Terming the move as “personal vendetta,” Mr. Hooda told the media: “They have not been able to fulfil any of the promises made so far. So they are diverting the people's attention through such cases which is purely witch-hunting.
The State government could have waited for the order of Punjab and Haryana High Court where the matter is already pending.”
Earlier registered by the Vigilance branch of Haryana, the case names the then HUDA chairman, three bureaucrats and 13 beneficiaries, besides unknown government officials.
Various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act have been invoked.
“It is alleged that after the final date for submission of applications, provisions of the allotment were changed and plots were allocated to the beneficiaries at a price lower than the government rate. After registering the case, searches were conducted at 16 places in Chandigarh, Panchkula, Faridabad, Delhi, Gurgaon, Karnal, Kurukshetra and Rohtak,” said a CBI official.
Among those named in the FIR are also retired IAS officer D.P.S. Nagal, who was Chief Administrator of HUDA, S.C. Kansal, the then Controller of Finance and B.B. Taneja, who held the post of Deputy Superintendent in HUDA.
The CBI official said the accused beneficiaries had submitted their applications on January 24, 2012, 18 days after the last date of submission.
According to the CBI, they have been identified as Sidharth Bhardwaj, Mona Devi, Anupam Sood and Sachin Sood, Nandita Hooda, Renu Hooda, Manjot Kaur, Kanwar Preet Singh, Raman Kansal, Dagar Katyal, Ganesh Ratan, Aman Gupta, retired Lt. Col. O.P. Dahiya and Ashok Verma.
Searches conducted at 16 places including Chandigarh
and Delhi
