Hooda, Vora granted bail in AJL plot allotment case

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Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda. File Photo

Panchkula, October 30 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Special Court in Panchkula on Wednesday granted interim bail to former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress leader Moti Lal Vora in the AJL plot allotment case. 

The ED has already filed a complaint in this regard in the court. Hooda and Vora applied for regular bail. The court granted both of them interim bail till November 6 on surety of Rs 5 lakh each. 

Former Chandigarh MP Pawan Bansal and former Palwal MLA Karan Dalal were present in court. Former Haryana assembly speaker Kuldeep Sharma was also present.

The controversy revolves around institutional plot number C-17 in Sector 6, Panchkula. Allotted by HUDA to AJL in 1982, it was taken back in 1992 as construction was not carried out in 10 years. The appeal and revision filed by AJL against resumption of plot were also dismissed by HUDA administrator and Haryana’s financial commissioner (town and country planning) in 1995 and 1996. However, when Hooda become the chief minister in 2005, he allowed re-allotment of the plot to AJL.

After Manohar Lal Khattar came into power in October, 2014, an FIR was registered by the state vigilance bureau into alleged irregularities in the allotment “causing huge financial loss to HUDA”.

Later the case was transferred to CBI. The CBI is pursuing the case separately. 

In August, ED also filed a complaint in the case for money laundering.