The Inquiry Commission, which is probing grant of land licences to some firms including that of Robert Vadra in Haryana, was today given an eight-week extension even as its head Justice S N Dhingra rubbished allegations that a Trust run by him was being favoured by the government.
The Haryana government extended the tenure of the Commission till August 31, a day after Justice Dhingra sought six weeks more just before the deadline was coming to an end, contending that he needed extra time to study additional evidence and documents that have come up before the panel.
While the extension was granted, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said questions raised by Congress before submission of report by the probe panel makes one suspect that something is not right.
The Haryana Governor extended the tenure of the one-man Commission upto August 31 on the same terms and conditions and with the concurrence of state Finance department, an official notification said.
The Commission was set up on May 14, 2015 to probe into grant of land licences to some companies including that of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in Gurgaon during the Congress rule in Haryana.
Insisting that he is not targeting Vadra, Justice Dhingra rubbished allegations of Congress that a Trust run by him was being favoured by the government.
"Anybody is free to make allegations. But he should atleast come forward (and say) what money was given," he said
He said the allegations made against the Justice Gopal Singh Public Charitable Trust in Gurgaon, which he runs, are about a request being made for constructing roads in five villages as the Trust intended to start a Skill Centre for village women and a training centre for youth of the area.
"The Centre (run by trust) requested the local administration that these villages should also be provided roads. If the administration has acceded to this request and if you say it is bribe or it is a favour being given to the Trust, I would like to have this favour for all villages of Haryana," he said.
Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala had alleged that "Justice S N Dhingra has sought favours from government of Haryana pertaining to Justice Gopal Singh Public Charitable Trust in Gurgaon, making him incompetent and unsuitable to deliver any verdict or report in the matter.
The Chief Minister, who was in Panchkula, said the
Commission was constituted one year ago and at that time the Congress had no issues.
Earlier also, the tenure of the Commission was extended and the approval was notified after 10 days, Khattar said, adding "Even then no one raised any issue."
The Commission had sought extension for six weeks, but the government has extended it for two more months, he said.
To another question, he said the facts would become clear only after submission of the report.
Earlier, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had sought scrapping the Dhingra Commission of Inquiry, arguing that it was "contrary to established rules and norms, without due cabinet approval and prompted by malice and political considerations".
The BJP government in the state had in December last year extended the Commission's term for a period of six months and on June 17 this year its term had been extended till June 30.
"Some more documents were given and I wanted to study them....If some substaintial material is there, I think it is the duty of the Commission to consider them," he said.
Talking about the nature of documents that came before the Commission, he said, they are relating to some sale deeds and transactions.
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Earlier, media reports had said the Commission headed by Justice Dhingra, a retired judge of Delhi High Court, was ready with its report which was supposed to have gone into mutation of a land deal between a firm M/S Skylight Hospitality owned by Robert Vadra and realty major DLF. The Rs 58-crore deal related to 3.5 acre land in Gurgaon's Shikohpur village which was sold by Vadra to DLF.
In October, 2012, senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka had cancelled the mutation of the land deal between Skylight Hospitality and DLF. It was mired by controversy over allegations of undervaluation.
The Commission was to probe transfer or disposal of land, allegations of private enrichment, ineligibility of beneficiaries under the rules, and other connected matters, bringing Vadra land deal under the scanner.
BJP had made the land deals under the previous Congress government in Haryana a major poll issue during the 2014 Lok Sabha and the state Assembly polls, alleging rules were relaxed to favour a few including Vadra, son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
BJP today attacked Congress for making accusations against Justice S N Dhingra Commission, saying the opposition party was making "hue and cry" as it "fears that the outcome of the panel's report can go against its leaders.
"It is like 'Chor ki darhi me tinka' (they have guilty conscience). They (Congress leaders) now feel that something can go against in the (probe panel) report and that is why they are making such baseless accusations against Dhingra Commission. By levelling allegations, they are trying to fight it out," BJP, general secretary and incharge of Haryana, Anil Jain said today.
Lashing out at the Congress, Jain said, "whatever commissions they formed (during their regime), they were right and rest of them are incompetent. Congress party's policy has been that its leaders should remain protected," alleged Jain.
However, BJP refuted the allegations that the commission was formed to target "particular persons".
"If we had to target any particular person or persons, then we would have done it at the initial time (when the government was formed). No particular person was being targeted through the formation of Dhingra Commission. The panel was probing several cases pertaining to grant of land licences," Jain said.
