Jaipur: Businessman Robert Vadra and his mother Maureen Vadra received a jolt from the Rajasthan High Court on Thursday. The court has rejected Vadra’s petition seeking a stay on the custodial investigation in the case of alleged fraudulent land purchase in Kolayat, Bikaner by his company Sky Light Hospitality LLP.
The court, however, stayed his arrest for two more weeks allowing him to appeal in the higher court.
A single bench of Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhati heard the case. The hearing of the case was completed on Wednesday. The court had kept the order reserved to be pronounced on Thursday.
The petitioners had also prayed to the court to quash ECIR (Enforcement case information report) which was not an FIR but just an inquiry on the complaint received by the ED.
The writ petition was strongly opposed by Additional. Solicitor General Rajdeepak Rastoghi on behalf of ED argued that filing of writ challenging the action of ED was an abuse of the process of the court.
What is the Bikaner land scam case?
Robert Vadra’s Sky Light Hospitality had acquired land meant for rehabilitation of poor villagers in Kolayat, Bikaner.
Notably, a complaint had been obtained by the ED regarding the purchase of 275 bighas of land in Bikaner’s Kolayat. The land had been allegedly purchased in the name of the driver of the mediator Mahesh Nagre using a cheque given by Robert Vadra.
ED had issued summons to Robert Vadra and his mother Maureen, partners at the Sky Light Hospitality LLP in November 2018, but none of them appeared before the ED and instead moved to the high court seeking a “No Coercive Action” order and stay on the arrest. The court had issued an ex-parte interim order granting them relief.
In between on January 21st, 2019, the High Court ordered Vadras to appear before the ED for investigation. In compliance with the orders, Robert Vadra and his mother Maureen Vadra had appeared before the ED in Jaipur and the central agency interrogated them but then ED applied for custodial interrogation in the High Court.
Now, after this decision, the earlier interim order will continue for two weeks. During this Vadra can appeal in the higher court.
