Panel confirms fraud in Vadra land deals

Justice SN Dhingra, a former judge of Delhi High Court, presented a 182-page report to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, 15 months after he was appointed to probe land deals in Gurgaon during the tenure of the then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. 

While refusing to give details of the contents of the report, Justice Dhingra indicated that he clearly found irregularities in the grant of land licences in the area. The land deals became a major issue in 2014 during the Lok Sabha elections and Assembly polls in Haryana. Asked by newsmen whether the commission found any irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, “Had there been no irregularity I would have given one sentence report mentioning there is no irregularity. My report has 182 pages. Without it (irregularity), I did not have any reason to write 182 pages.” 

To a query about the companies involved in the irregularities, he said, “I do not know about which particular company you (media) are talking. My mandate was to inquire about irregularity in grant of licenses.” The Khattar government had on May 14, 2015 set up the one-man Commission to probe issues concerning the grant of license(s) for developing commercial colonies by the Department of Town and Country Planning to some entities in Sector 83, Gurgaon including mutation of land deal between a firm M/S Skylight Hospitality owned by Robert Vadra and realty major DLF.

Justice Dhingra said that it is for the government to act on the report, including making it public after laying it in the state assembly. 

“I cannot disclose the contents of the report. It is the property of the state government which is to decide the timing of making public the report,” he added. The commission had been given three extensions so far. 

Asked whether any government official or private persons were involved in irregularity, Justice Dhingra said, “I have probed irregularity in grant of licences and the manner in which these irregularities were committed and the persons who were benefitted from it.”