Businessman Robert Vadra has requested the Delhi High Court to halt the summons issued to him by a trial court in connection to a money laundering case linked to a 2008 land deal in Gurugram’s Shikohpur village. The matter is scheduled for a hearing before Justice Manoj Jain on Thursday. Vadra is contesting the Rouse Avenue Court’s April 15 order, which acknowledged the prosecution complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Vadra is also seeking a stay on the trial court’s summons instructing him to appear on May 16. The ED has accused Vadra of generating proceeds of crime through a deceptive land transaction involving 3.53 acres of land in Haryana’s Shikohpur village and channeling the alleged proceeds through multiple companies supposedly under his control. The Special Court at Rouse Avenue had previously issued summons to Vadra and eight others on April 15 after acknowledging the prosecution complaint filed by the ED.
Vadra, who is the husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and the other accused were directed to appear before the Special Court on May 16. During the hearing, Vadra’s counsel argued that there was no evidence of money laundering against him and urged the trial court not to acknowledge the ED’s charge sheet. The court had previously issued a notice to Vadra and others in compliance with Section 223(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which mandates that a proposed accused must be given a chance to be heard before cognisance is taken.
The ED alleges that Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, acquired 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur in February 2008 for Rs 7.50 crore from Omkareshwar Properties Private Limited despite having limited capital. The agency claims that no actual payment was made, and the sale deed contained false declarations, including a reference to a cheque that was never issued or encashed. The ED asserts that the land was undervalued in the sale deed, leading to stamp duty evasion and constituting an offence under Section 423 of the Indian Penal Code.
