In a major crackdown on financial irregularities, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached land parcels worth over ₹598 crore in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, belonging to Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Limited (APIL). This action stems from a high-profile land scam in Gurugram, Haryana, exposing deep-rooted collusion between real estate developers, government officials, and private entities.
The ED’s move is linked to a CBI FIR registered by its Anti-Corruption Branch in New Delhi on January 23, 2019, following Supreme Court directives in Civil Appeal No. 8977/2014. The FIR accuses APIL, public servants, and other colonizers of criminal conspiracy under IPC Sections 120-B and 420, as well as violations under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
At the heart of the controversy are irregularities in the acquisition and release of prime land in Gurugram’s Sectors 58-63 and 65-67. Initially notified for public purposes like development and land banking under Sections 4 and 6 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), much of this land was fraudulently handed over to private developers through collusive mechanisms.
Investigations reveal APIL entered collaboration agreements and secured General Powers of Attorney (GPAs) from landowners before Section 4 notifications, without proper consideration or contract terms. Post-facto alterations further undermined legal safeguards, forcing landowners to sell at undervalued rates amid uncertainty, allowing APIL unlawful gains.
Haryana’s Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) issued licenses to APIL for 142.306 acres in Badshahpur village, including 42.751 acres of notified land released from acquisition. This enabled projects like ‘Essencia’ and ‘Versalia,’ now fully developed and sold to third-party buyers.
To protect innocent homebuyers from possession issues, the ED targeted associated entities in Agra acting as land-holding vehicles, though ultimate control and benefits rested with APIL. This attachment underscores the agency’s resolve to dismantle money laundering networks tied to corrupt land deals, sending a strong message to real estate players indulging in such practices.