New Delhi is bracing for a significant legal showdown as a local court prepares to hear arguments on the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) prosecution complaint against businessman Robert Vadra in a high-profile money laundering case linked to a 2008 land deal in Gurugram’s Shikohpur village.
The hearing, scheduled for Saturday at Rouse Avenue Court, focuses on whether the court will take cognizance of the ED’s chargesheet filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, faces serious allegations of fraudulent land transactions involving 3.53 acres in Haryana.
According to the ED, Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, acquired the land from Onkareshwar Properties Private Limited for Rs 7.50 crore in February 2008, despite having limited capital. Investigators claim no actual payment was made, and the sale deed contained false declarations, including references to a cheque that was never issued or encashed.
The agency alleges the land’s value was deliberately undervalued to evade stamp duty, constituting an offense under Section 423 of the Indian Penal Code. The ED has identified Rs 58 crore as proceeds of crime and provisionally attached 43 immovable properties worth Rs 38.69 crore, linked to Vadra, his firm Artecs, Skylight Hospitality, and associated entities.
This case traces back to 2012 when senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka canceled the deal citing irregularities. Although a government panel later cleared Vadra and DLF, the Haryana Police registered an FIR after the BJP came to power in the state.
Special Judge (PC Act) Sushant Changotra has issued notices to Vadra and other proposed accused, emphasizing that under Section 223(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), no court can take cognizance without giving them a hearing opportunity.
The ED seeks maximum seven years’ imprisonment under PMLA Section 4 and confiscation of the attached properties. As the political and business worlds watch closely, this hearing could mark a turning point in the long-running saga, potentially reshaping narratives around one of India’s most scrutinized land deals.