Rajasthan govt recommends CBI probe into Bikaner land deal cases

The Rajasthan government has recommended a CBI inquiry into 18 cases of land deals in Bikaner,four of which involves businessman Robert Vadra-promoted Skylight Hospitality, home minister Gulab Chand Kataria said on Tuesday.

The state decided to send the cases to the CBI on August 17, he said. Vadra is the son-in-law of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

The Rajasthan Police last year cleared Vadra of any wrongdoing, saying he was a bona fide purchaser who was “cheated” and “certainly a victim of fraud”.

“We decided to refer the 18 FIRs, four related to Vadra’s firm, to the CBI because these pieces of land were allotted on fake documents and sold multiple times. The central agency will unravel the conspiracy,” Kataria said.

The cases revolve around 1,400 bighas allotted in lieu of the land acquired for a firing range. A probe found land was allotted to people who had not been displaced. Around 275 bighas were bought by Skylight Hospitality in 2010 and sold by it in 2012.

“When the issue was probed, it was found that in connivance of administrative officers the land was fraudulently allotted and huge profit was earned by selling it,” Kataria said.

Eighteen FIRs were filed as it was not clear whom the land was allotted to. The allotments were not matching records, he said. Charge sheet was filed in 18 cases. ThoserelatedtoVadraneeds further probe, a police official said.