Panchkula: The Manesar land case has taken a new twist with the court of the Special Judge, CBI, at Panchkula registering a complaint against those who had got an FIR registered alleging that they were forced to sell 400 acres at a throwaway price over a decade back after the then Congress government in Haryana initiated acquisition proceedings.
In a complaint before the CBI court, it has been alleged that those getting the FIR registered never sold any land and the FIR amounted to perjury and contempt of court.
The CBI is investigating the Manesar land case after the BJP government handed over investigation into an FIR by one Om Parkash Yadav and Naresh Kumar, registered at Manesar police station on August 12, 2015, alleging that he and several other villagers were forced to sell land at a cheap rate after a notice under Section 4 and 6 of the Land Acquisition Act was allegedly issued at the behest of certain builders, politicians and bureaucrats. The acquisition process was later dropped, causing them a huge loss, it was claimed.
In the matter that came up before Special Judge Jagdeep Singh, it has been alleged that those who got the FIR registered never sold any land between 2004 and 2007 as claimed in the FIR and the registration of a false complaint invited action under Sections 340 and 190 of the CrPC for initiating perjury proceedings as well as a criminal contempt for making “patently false, palpable and sheer contradictory allegations to a speaking verdict of the Punjab and Haryana High Court”.
After the BJP government came to power, it had on August 15, 2015, handed over a case pertaining to sale of private land in Manesar (Gurugram) to the CBI, completing all formalities in less than 48 hours after registration of an FIR. The Congress had alleged political vendetta. The CBI was handed over the investigation into this matter that had already been decided by the High Court and which is pending in the Supreme Court.
Besides Yadav and Naresh Kumar, complainant Ravinder Kumar has also impleaded CBI officials and a former Additional Chief Secretary as respondents and accused them of hatching a criminal conspiracy.
In fact, Om Parkash had lost his case on merit before the High Court but concealed this fact while registering the FIR in 2015. The High Court in 2014 had clearly observed that Om Parkash sold his land voluntarily and entered into a collaboration agreement with a private builder only in 2008 after dropping of land acquisition proceedings, which were in operation between 2004 and 2007.
The special court has fixed hearing for August 16 for preliminary evidence. Notably, the state government recently admitted its fault by seeking an apology in filing wrong facts unintentionally regarding issuance of licences before the Supreme Court during pendency of the SLP. However, this is after the SC had reserved its judgment on April 12.
In fact, Ravinder Kumar, the same complainant, had filed an intervention application before the Supreme Court by informing it about wrong and false facts submitted by the state government.