ED summons Robert Vadra for questioning in land deal cases tomorrow

The agency began investigating the Bikaner land scam case in 2015 based on an FIR filed by Rajasthan Police. The state police had filed 18 FIRs in the mater in 2014 followed by cancellation of the deal.

In August 2017, the CBI also registered 18 FIRs in connection with the alleged scam. The cases pertain to fraudulent and fictitious claims and allotments in lieu of land acquired for Mahajan Field Firing Range, Bikaner, which is used by the Army, the CBI said.

The ED had also probed the Kolayat chapter of the alleged scam and had conducted several searches and questioned many people in connection with the case which included close aides of Vadra.

On December 31, 2014, the Rajasthan government had cancelled 18 mutations (transfer of ownership) in Bikaner after finding them allegedly illegal. It is alleged that the land was illegally allotted or possessed in 2006-07 by some villagers, who were “wrongfully” shown as farmers displaced by the acquisition of land for the Mahajan Field Firing Range.

It was alleged that Robert Vadra’s Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited purchased 250 bighas at Kolayat at very low prices and then allegedly sold them at very high prices. As first reported by The Indian Express, the Sky Light Hospitality sold 69.55 hectares in two deals to Allegeny Finlease Pvt Ltd in January 2012 for Rs 5.15 crore — at Rs 7.41 lakh per hectare, seven times the purchase price of the same land two years ago.