AJL land case: Bhupinder Singh Hooda to be prosecuted

Bengaluru, Nov 15: Haryana Governor on Thursday gave sanction to prosecute former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Associated Journal Limited case. Hooda will be the first Congress leader to be prosecuted in the National Herald case.

Reacting to Haryana Governor's sanction, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said, "All this is politically motivated. The decision was taken by the entire authority and not one person. I have full faith in the judiciary."

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court did not grant stay order in the AJL case (L&D office can go ahead with initiating the eviction proceedings).

JL-National Herald Panchkula land grab scam case, allegedly against Bhupinder Singh Hooda currently in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, is under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED).

This case pertains to Hooda's alleged role for misusing his position as then Chief Minister of Haryana to cause wrongful gains to the Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and corresponding loss to the Government of Haryana, by illegally allotting a government plot of land worth several crores rupees (billions) to AJL for INR 59 lakh (5.9 million).

In May 2016, the state vigilance bureau had registered a case against Hooda for cheating and corruption in allotment of land to the AJL in Panchkula by HUDA.