CHANDIGARH: Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya Thursday gave sanction to prosecution of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in the case of re-allotment of a plot to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the company that owned the Congress-controlled National Herald newspaper in Panchkula in 2005.
In May 2016, the state vigilance bureau had registered a case against Hooda and others on charges of cheating and corruption in allotment of land to the AJL in Panchkula by Haryana Urban and Development Authority (HUDA).
AJL was the publisher of the National Herald newspaper in 2005. In 2011, AJL's ownership was transferred to Young India Limited, in which Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi are shareholders and directors.
Hooda was chairman of HUDA at the time of allotment of the plot. Last year, the case was transferred by the government to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the apex agency registered the case against Hooda for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating and misuse of official position.
Sources said that it is alleged that AJL was allotted a plot in Panchkula in 1982 on which no construction took place till 1992. Then HUDA took back possession of the plot. The same plot was re-allotted to AJL more than original rates in 2005 by allegedly violating the norms by Hooda who was then Chairman of HUDA. The AJL was re-allotted a plot (no C-17), measuring 3,360 square meters, in Sector 6 of Panchkula on June 29, 2005.
In July 2017, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that Hooda allegedly misused his official position and illegally re-allotted a plot in 2005 to AJL. Hooda termed it as politically motivated and said the decision to allot the plot to the AJL was taken by the entire HUDA and not by a single individual. He denied any wrongdoing in the case and put forth that he had full faith in the judiciary.
Earlier, Leader of Opposition in the Haryana Assembly, Abhay Singh Chautala had written letter to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in which he had demanded registration of a criminal case against Hooda and AJL.