The Enforcement Directorate has issued notice to Associated Journals Limited, seeking documents in connection with money-laundering investigations into alleged irregularities in the allotment of a Panchkula plot in 2005. The company, which owns National Herald , has been asked to furnish papers related to the allotment of the plot during the tenure of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
In July, the ED launched a money-laundering probe against the then Chief Minister and others for alleged wrongful re-allotment of the plot to Associated Journals. The Haryana Police had earlier registered a case on the same allegations.
According to the police case, the plot in question was first allotted to the company in 1982 for running its Hindi newspaper Navjeevan . But, the construction work on the plot was not completed in time, owing to which the government cancelled the allotment in 1992. Associated Journals appealed against the cancellation, which was rejected.
The company moved another petition to the then Chief Minister in 1998. But it was again turned down. It is alleged that yet another petition was filed when Mr. Hooda was in power in 2004. Subsequently, the then State government decided to re-allot the plot to Associated Journals in 2005, allegedly at the 1982 rate, despite reservations from the departments concerned.
The departments had contended that a fresh advertisement needed to be published for its re-allocation. It is alleged they had also pointed out that the re-allotment of the same plot to Associated Journals at the 1982 rate would amount to Rs. 65 lakh loss to the exchequer.
However, Mr. Hooda allegedly got the land allotted to the company. The firm was initially given six months to complete the construction work. “It is alleged that on Mr. Hooda’s instructions, AJL was given one extension after the other. In 2013, the construction was completed. But, Navjeevan ,for which the allotment was made had closed down,” an ED official had said.
