On Tuesday, a Delhi court deferred the hearing on the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) complaint against businessman Robert Vadra and other accused individuals in connection with a 2008 land deal in Gurugram’s Shikohpur village, which is under investigation for alleged money laundering.
The Rouse Avenue Courts adjourned the matter until January 22, 2026, when the court will consider the ED’s plea seeking cognisance of the charge sheet filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED has alleged that Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, generated proceeds of crime through an allegedly fraudulent land transaction involving 3.53 acres in Haryana.
The agency alleged that Vadra routed the suspected criminal proceeds through several companies he controlled, concealing the true financial flow linked to the transaction.
Earlier, the court issued notices to Vadra and other proposed accused individuals, noting that Section 223(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) requires that no court can take cognisance of a complaint without providing the accused an opportunity to be heard.
Special Judge (PC Act) Sushant Changotra ordered, “Issue notice to all the proposed accused persons arrayed in the complaint for hearing on the question of taking of cognisance.”
The ED has claimed that Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, acquired 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur in February 2008 from Omkareshwar Properties Private Limited for ₹7.50 crore, despite the firm having limited capital.
The agency further alleged that Vadra made no actual payment for the purchase and included false declarations in the sale deed, including a reference to a cheque that he never issued or encashed.
The ED also stated that Vadra undervalued the land in the sale deed, evading stamp duty, which violates Section 423 of the Indian Penal Code.
In its complaint, the ED has identified ₹58 crore as proceeds of crime and has provisionally attached 43 immovable properties worth ₹38.69 crore.
Vadra, his proprietorship firm Artex, Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, and other associated entities allegedly own these assets.
The agency has requested the court to sentence Vadra to the maximum punishment of seven years’ rigorous imprisonment under Section 4 of the PMLA and to confiscate the attached properties.
Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka cancelled the Shikohpur land deal in October 2012, citing procedural irregularities.
Although an internal government panel later cleared Vadra and DLF of any wrongdoing, the Haryana Police subsequently registered a First Information Report (FIR) after the BJP-led government assumed power in the state.
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