New Delhi: A Delhi court is set to hear on Saturday the issue of taking cognisance of a prosecution complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against businessman Robert Vadra and others in a money laundering case linked to a 2008 land transaction in Gurugram's Shikohpur village.

The case will be heard at the Rouse Avenue Courts, which is examining the ED’s chargesheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency alleges that Vadra – husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi and son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi – generated proceeds of crime through a fraudulent acquisition of 3.53 acres of land in Haryana.

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According to the ED, the proceeds were allegedly routed through multiple companies controlled by Vadra. Earlier, a Delhi court issued notices to Vadra and other accused, citing Section 223(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which requires that no court take cognisance of a complaint without giving 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 claims that Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, acquired 3.5 acres in Shikohpur in February 2008 from Omkareshwar Properties Private Limited for Rs 7.50 crore, despite having limited capital. The agency alleges that no actual payment was made and that the sale deed contained false declarations, including references to cheques that were never issued or encashed.

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The land was allegedly undervalued, resulting in stamp duty evasion and potential violations under Section 423 of the Indian Penal Code. The ED has identified Rs 58 crore as proceeds of crime and provisionally attached 43 immovable properties valued at Rs 38.69 crore, owned by Vadra, Skylight Hospitality, Artex, and other associated entities.

The agency has sought up to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment under Section 4 of the PMLA, along with confiscation of the attached properties. In 2012, senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka had cancelled the Shikohpur deal, citing procedural irregularities. Although an in-house government panel later cleared Vadra and DLF, the Haryana Police registered an FIR after the BJP-led state government came to power.

This hearing is expected to be a key development in the high-profile investigation into Vadra’s alleged financial irregularities.

IANS