DEHRADUN: Prominent industrialist Sudhir Windlass, who has been facing serious allegations of grabbing and illegally transferring multi-crore rupee land parcels in Dehradun, has finally received major relief from the Supreme Court. The apex court has accepted his bail petition after nearly 22 months of imprisonment.
Cases under several stringent sections were registered against Windlass and his associates at the Rajpur Police Station in Dehradun, based on a complaint filed by the owner of Doon Paramedical College, leading to his arrest and subsequent incarceration.
Given the gravity of the accusations, several charges related to multiple land disputes in Dehradun are currently registered against industrialist Sudhir Windlass.
It is noteworthy that nearly three years ago, on 25 January 2022, Sanjay Singh Chaudhary, the owner of Doon Paramedical College, lodged a complaint at the Rajpur Police Station, accusing Sudhir Windlass of allegedly usurping and selling valuable land.
Subsequently, the investigation into this matter was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI arrested Sudhir Windlass along with five alleged land-mafia members in connection with the case.
Prior to this, serious allegations were levelled against Windlass in 2018. Durgesh Gautam, a resident of Rajpur, filed a complaint before the Special Investigation Team (SIT), alleging that Sudhir Windlass, in collusion with his associates, had allegedly illegally occupied approximately one hectare of government land in Rajpur and sold it for crores of rupees.
Following confirmation of these allegations during the SIT probe, a case was registered against Sudhir and several others under relevant sections at the Rajpur Police Station on 14 February 2018.
Just a few days after the complaint filed by the Doon Paramedical College owner on 9 January 2022, Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) Soban Singh Danu of the Army also filed a complaint on 13 January at the Rajpur Police Station. Danu alleged land grabbing and sale using forged documents concerning land in Johri village on Rajpur Road.
Following allegations that the police were not taking adequate action, complainant Sanjay Singh Chaudhary urged the State Government to transfer all cases registered against Sudhir and his associates to the CBI. Subsequently, the State Government initiated correspondence with the Central Government to transfer the matter to the CBI.
After nearly 22 months behind bars, the family members of industrialist Sudhir Windlass approached the Supreme Court seeking his release. Following prolonged legal contention, the Supreme Court finally accepted his bail application.
“This decision is the result of a long legal process. We respect the court’s verdict and hope that the truth will emerge soon,” stated one of Sudhir Windlass’s legal representatives on condition of anonymity.
The ruling is being seen as a significant turning point for the industrialist, who is an accused in several high-profile land-related cases.
