Dhingra panel set up after due consideration: Govt to HC

LAND DEALS HC had asked govt to submit details of grounds prompting CM to order probe

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government has claimed before the Punjab and Haryana high court that the justice SN Dhingra probe panel was ordered by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar after “careful perusal of material” before him.

The Dhingra panel was set up by Haryana in 2015 to probe the allegations that laws were flouted in granting land licences in Gurgaon during the previous Congress government’s tenure.

Among the alleged beneficiary companies include one owned by Robert Vadra, son-inlaw of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

The panel submitted its report on August 31, 2016 and is yet to be made public.

The government has said that the chief minister passed the order on May 13, 2015 after considering a report of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India on social, general and economic sectors; news reports on Comptroller and Auditor General regarding Vadra; chargesheet submitted to the governor by Indian National Lok Dal; news reports about alleged irregularities and illegalities committed by the then government; a booklet by Bharatiya Janata party and 2014 proceedings of an assembly session, where the matter was discussed, the court was told.

On the other hand, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who has challenged the constitution of the probe panel, disputed the government claims about the chief minister and council of ministers examining the material.

It was collated belatedly to justify the constitution of probe panel, the court was told.

Hooda also claimed that the government had failed to produce any record to prove that the material cited by the government now was placed before chief minister before he ordered the probe.

He also questioned that the officer who had filed the response in the court was not competent to do so.

Hooda had filed this petition in November 2016, alleging that the government action of ordering the probe was “mala fide” and a result of political “vendetta”, and the present chief minister and his cabinet colleagues were indulging in “witch-hunting”.

The high court is yet to issue a formal notice to the state government.

PANEL WAS SET UP IN 2015 TO PROBE ALLEGATIONS IRREGULARITIES IN GRANTING LAND LICENCES IN GURGAON UNDER HOODA REGIME. AMONG ALLEGED BENEFICIARIES WAS ROBERT VADRA, SONINLAW OF CONGRESS PRESIDENT SONIA GANDHI