AJL land case: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday filed a charge-sheet against the former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress leader Motilal Vora in connection with the alleged irregularities in the re-allotment of an institutional plot in Panchkula to the Associate Journals Limited (AJL). AJL is the publisher of National Herald newspaper. According to a report by news agency PTI, CBI has filed the charge-sheet in a special court and has alleged that the reallotment of the plot, C-17, has caused a loss of Rs 67 lakh to the exchequer.

The Central agency has charged the then Haryana chief minister Hooda, who was also the chairman of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), the then chairman of the AJL, Vora, and the company under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections related to criminal conspiracy and the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In the charge-sheet, the CBI alleged that AJL was allotted a plot of land in Panchkula in 1982, on which no construction took place till 1992. Huda has subsequently taken back the land. The charge-sheet alleged that the same plot was re-allotted to AJL by Hooda at its original rates in 2005, in alleged violation of rules.

Slamming the government over the charge-sheet filed against him, Vora to news agency ANI, “Government is working with bad intentions. Matter is sub-judice and truth will triumph at last. We will give a reply of charge-sheet. There are no irregularities in the matter.

Another Congress leader Abhishek Singh said that the charge-sheet filed by the CBI is nothing but a political vendetta ahead of elections. “As polls approach, government indulges in such acts. 5 years are about to get over, they have all powers but do they have any evidence? Their only aim is to use such tools as per convenience during polls,” Singhvi said.

According to the FIR, the case was initially taken up by the Haryana State Vigilance Bureau and an FIR was filed in 2016 against Hooda and four HUDA officials. The re-allotment of land was done against the legal opinion of the authorities, it added.