Press trust of india
Chandigarh, August 31: A judicial inquiry into the controversial land deals in Haryana allegedly involving Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra Wednesday submitted its report to the state government, apparently finding irregularities in the deals.
Justice S N 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 licenses 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 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 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 licenses and the manner in which these irregularities were committed and the persons who were benefitted from it. “Rest, indictment, is for the state to proceed against whatever it considers against whom it is to proceed and against whom it is not to proceed. That is the state’s prerogative. “I have named each and every person who is responsible whether private or government. Any person who was involved in irregularity has been mentioned (in the report) and role has also been mentioned,” he further said.
