AJL land allotment case: Hearing adjourned to November 28

PANCHKULA: The special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court at Panchkula on Tuesday adjourned the matter in the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) land re-allotment case involving senior Congress leader Motilal Vora and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to November 28.

The matter was fixed on arguments based upon CBI’S reply filed on Hooda’s discharge application. The former CM had filed an application in the special CBI court on August 22 seeking discharge, to which the CBI on September 18 had filed a reply.

Defence counsel SPS Parmar said, “Arguments on the reply filed by CBI on the discharge plea were not advanced and will now come up on the next date of hearing on November 28.”

While Hooda was present during the hearing, Vora was granted permanent exemption on medical grounds. The court had granted bail to Hooda and Vora on January 3 this year.

The CBI had filed a chargesheet against the duo and AJL, publisher of the National Herald newspaper , on December 1, 2018, under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and 13(I)(d), read with 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI had stated that the former CM, in cahoots with others, had allegedly abused his official position and dishonestly reallotted the institutional plot to AJL at old rate, thereby, causing wrongful gain of Rs 67.65 lakh to AJL and loss to the state exchequer.

Arguments on the reply filed by CBI on the discharge plea were not advanced and will now come up on the next date of hearing. SPS PARMAR, Defence counsel