A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to businessman Robert Vadra in a money-laundering case related to a land deal in Haryana’s Shikohpur.
Special judge Sushant Changotra granted bail to Vadra after he appeared before him in pursuance of a summons issued against him in the land-deal case. The court also granted bail to another accused, Kewal Singh Virk.
“As both accused were not arrested during the course of investigation and they have now appeared in the court in pursuance of the summons, their detention in judicial custody is neither necessary nor warranted under the law,” the court said.
The court listed the matter on July 10 for further hearing.
Vadra was directed to appear before the court after it took cognisance of an Enforcement Directorate chargesheet against him, observing that there is sufficient material for proceeding further with the agency’s complaint.
The case dates back to February 2008, when a company called Skylight Hospitality — where Vadra was a director earlier — purchased 3.5 acres in Shikohpur from Onkareshwar Properties for ₹7.5 crore and later sold it to real-estate giant DLF for
₹58 crore.
The Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government was in power in Haryana when the land deal took place.
The ED had on July 18 filed a prosecution complaint against Vadra — the husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra — and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Vadra had denied the charges and alleged a political witch-hunt by the BJP government against the Gandhi family. The Shikohpur land deal was one of Narendra Modi’s 2014 election planks.