ED Chargesheets Robert Vadra In Gurugram Land Case, Properties Worth Rs 36 Crore Attached
The ED filed a chargesheet against Robert Vadra, alleging money laundering and questionable land deals in Gurugram, attaching ₹36 crore in assets.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed its first charge sheet against businessman Robert Vadra in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to a controversial land deal in Haryana’s Shikohpur. The development marks the first instance of any investigating agency formally naming Vadra, the husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, as an accused in a criminal case.
According to news agency PTI, the federal probe agency submitted the prosecution complaint before a special court at Rouse Avenue in Delhi under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
43 Properties Worth Over ₹37 Crore Attached
Sources told PTI that the ED has provisionally attached 43 immovable properties spread across Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Gujarat. These assets, valued at approximately ₹37.64 crore, are allegedly linked to Vadra and entities associated with him, including Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.
The agency claims these properties were part of the proceeds of crime generated through illegal transactions connected to a land purchase in Gurugram. A provisional attachment order was reportedly issued on Wednesday under the PMLA.
Charge Sheet Names 11 Accused, Including Firms and Associates
The ED’s charge sheet names a total of 11 accused, including Vadra and his firm Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., along with individuals Satyanand Yajee and Kewal Singh Virk, and their company Onkareshwar Properties Pvt. Ltd., among others. The court is yet to take cognisance of the complaint.
The roots of the case lie in a First Information Report (FIR) registered by Gurugram Police in September 2018. The FIR alleged that Vadra, through Sky Light Hospitality, had acquired 3.53 acres of land in Shikohpur village, Sector 83, Gurugram, on 12 February 2008, from Onkareshwar Properties by making a false declaration. The land was reportedly bought for ₹7.5 crore, and it is further alleged that a commercial licence was secured using Vadra’s personal influence.
The then Congress-led Haryana government, headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was in office at the time of the transaction. In 2012, the land was sold to real estate giant DLF for ₹58 crore.
Vadra’s Office Slams Case as ‘Political Witch Hunt’
Responding to the charge sheet, Vadra’s office issued a statement calling the move a politically motivated action by the current government.
“The present proceedings are nothing more than an extension of the political witch hunt by the present government against Vadra,” the statement said.
It further stated that since the court has not yet taken cognisance of the case, Vadra has not had the chance to review the charge sheet. “As a law-abiding Indian citizen, Mr Vadra has always and will continue to extend his fullest cooperation to the authorities and he is confident that at the end of it all, the truth will prevail and he will be cleared of any wrongdoing. Mr Vadra is looking forward to the opportunity to defend himself and clear his name in court,” it added.
Other Ongoing Investigations Against Vadra
The agency has also reportedly sought confiscation of the attached assets. Vadra was questioned by ED officials for three consecutive days in April as part of the probe.
In addition to the Shikohpur case, the businessman is also under the scanner in two other money laundering investigations — one involving alleged dealings with UK-based arms consultant and fugitive Sanjay Bhandari, and another linked to a land transaction in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
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