P’kula court issues non-bailable warrants against Dagar Katyal

PANCHKULA: The special court under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Panchkula, has issued non-bailable warrants against Dagar Katyal, one of the beneficiaries and accused in the Panchkula land scam case. The case involves allotment of 14 industrial plots worth Rs 30.34 crore to former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Hooda’s acquaintances in 2013. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said the interview process was “vitiated and compromised”. It had initiated investigation in 2015 after an FIR was lodged by the Haryana vigilance bureau. All 14 industrial plots were attached as per provisions of PMLA in 2019. This February, the ED had filed a chargesheet against 22 persons, including Hooda and three retired IAS officers. On Tuesday, Savita Chaudhary, special public prosecutor for ED, filed an application for issuance of non-bailable warrant against Katyal on the grounds that he is intentionally avoiding appearance before the court. The court observed this case falls in the priority category and needs to be taken up expeditiously, in accordance with the directions of the Apex Court.

In the application, ED stated that Katyal was allotted an industrial plot in Industrial Estate, Panchkula, through an illegal allotment process wherein undue favours were given to the allottees at the cost of other genuinely eligible applicants by the then HUDA chairman and other office bearers.

The plot was allotted to him an at abysmally low price, which was approximately four times less than the prevailing circle rates and approximately eight times less than the prevailing market rates. Further, his application for plot allotment was incomplete and had serious shortcomings and should have been rejected. He has committed an offence of money laundering under Section 3 and 4 of PMLA, 2002, it was stated. The next date of hearing is July 6.