No CBI probe, retd judge to look into Rohtak land deal

Retired high court judge Justice RS Madan will submit his inquiry report within two months

CHANDIGARH: In a significant climb down, the BJP government in Haryana on Wednesday appointed a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice RS Madan, to inquire the actions leading to the release of around 400-acre land in Rohtak and grant of colonisation licence on 280 acres to a private builder during the rule of previous Congress regime.

The move to have an inquiry by a retired judge in the matter, instead of a CBI probe, is being seen a major volte-face on the part of BJP government. This becomes significant since the matter has already been inquired by a retired IAS officer, Rajan Gupta, who only pointed to a systemic failure in the entire episode and did not fix anyone’s responsibility. Post retirement, Gupta is now the chairperson of Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA), Panchkula.

Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had on March 13 emphatically told the state assembly about his government’s

decision to refer two cases of land acquisition irregularities — Rohtak’s Uddar Gagan case adjudicated by the Supreme Court in May 2016 and Sonepat land release case — to the CBI for

investigation. Three weeks later, the state government has backed down by ordering an inquiry by a retired judge, who has been asked to complete the inquiry within two months.