AJL land allotment case: Cong says charges motivated by 'ill will, malice'

The Congress on Monday said the allegations of irregularities against its leaders in connection with the re-allotment of an institutional plot of land in Panchkula, Haryana to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) were motivated by "ill will" and "malice".

The assertion of Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi at a press conference here came in response to a question on the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attaching under the anti-money laundering law a plot of land in Panchkula that was allotted by the Haryana government in 2005 to the AJL, which is allegedly controlled by senior Congress leaders.

"I can understand the anxiety and frustration of this government, especially when the election season is around...The facts are otherwise. These are old cases. A process is going on. This is not a final order, this is not any adjudication. A chargesheet has been filed about which threats, speculation and speculative leaks have been going on since 2014," Singhvi said.

He added that prior to the chargesheet, the FIR itself was under heavy litigation and dispute.

"In fact, in one of the related matters, I myself have been appearing. That matter is now fixed in January. It will be decided one way or the other. Yes, the new action is ED action, but you must remember that the ED acts as a consequential authority. The ED action is now a consequential action. The validity of the ED action depends entirely on the preceding action," Singhvi, who is also a lawyer, said.

There was nothing new in the matter except it was the poll season, he added.

The cases were motivated by "ill will, malice" and mala fide intentions, the Congress leader said.

The ED Monday said it had issued a provisional order of attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on December 1, the day the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a chargesheet against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others for allegedly using fraudulent means to allot the land to AJL.

The CBI chargesheet, filed in a Panchkula court on December 1, named Congress leader Motilal Vora, besides Hooda, in connection with the alleged irregularities in the re-allotment of the plot.

The ED has questioned the two senior Congress leaders in connection with the case.