Delhi’s judicial corridors will echo with arguments tomorrow as the Rouse Avenue Court examines the Enforcement Directorate’s bombshell chargesheet in the Robert Vadra money laundering scandal tied to a Gurugram land grab.
The 2008 Shikohpur deal saw Vadra’s undercapitalized Skylight Hospitality snap up 3.53 acres for Rs 7.5 crore. ED sleuths uncovered a web of deceit—no payments, fabricated documents, phantom cheques, and undervaluation to skim stamp duties, violating IPC Section 423.
Prominent as Priyanka Gandhi’s spouse, Vadra allegedly laundered Rs 58 crore in illicit gains via his companies, prompting attachment of 43 properties totaling Rs 38.69 crore owned by him, Artecs, Skylight, and affiliates.
Echoing procedural fairness, Special Judge Sushant Changotra issued notices under BNSS Section 223(1), ensuring accused get their say before cognizance. The saga ignited in 2012 with Ashok Khemka’s deal annulment over flaws; a panel later exonerated parties, but Haryana Police’s FIR under BJP rule revived it.
ED demands PMLA Section 4’s full wrath: seven-year terms and property seizures. This hearing isn’t just legal theater—it’s a litmus test for accountability in opaque land transactions that have long fueled public outrage and political debates.
As evidence mounts from forensic audits to transaction trails, the court’s decision could cascade into broader implications for similar cases, reinforcing or challenging enforcement against powerful networks in India’s complex realty landscape.