Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Dec 23: A Delhi court on Tuesday postponed the hearing on whether to take cognisance of a prosecution complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against businessman Robert Vadra and others in a money laundering case linked to a 2008 land transaction in Gurugram’s Shikohpur village.
The proceedings were deferred by the Rouse Avenue Courts to January 22, 2026, when the court will hear the ED’s plea seeking cognisance of its charge sheet filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED has alleged that Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and son-in-law of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, generated proceeds of crime through a fraudulent land deal involving 3.53 acres in Haryana. According to the agency, the alleged proceeds were layered and routed through multiple companies linked to Vadra.
Earlier, the court had issued notices to Vadra and other proposed accused, noting that under Section 223(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), a court cannot take cognisance of a complaint without first giving the accused an opportunity to be heard. The order was passed by Special Judge (PC Act) Sushant Changotra.
As per the ED’s complaint, Vadra’s firm, Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, purchased the land in February 2008 for Rs 7.50 crore from Omkareshwar Properties Private Limited, despite having limited financial capacity. The agency has alleged that no actual payment was made and that the sale deed contained false statements, including mention of a cheque that was neither issued nor encashed.
The ED has further claimed that the land was undervalued in official records, resulting in stamp duty evasion and constituting an offence under Section 423 of the Indian Penal Code. The agency has identified Rs 58 crore as proceeds of crime and has provisionally attached 43 immovable properties worth Rs 38.69 crore, which it says are either directly derived from or equivalent in value to the alleged proceeds.
These properties are stated to be owned by Vadra, his proprietary firm Artex, Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, and other associated entities. The ED has sought the maximum punishment of seven years’ rigorous imprisonment under Section 4 of the PMLA, along with confiscation of the attached assets.
The Shikohpur land deal had first come under scrutiny in October 2012, when then IAS officer Ashok Khemka cancelled the transaction citing procedural violations. Although a government-appointed panel later cleared Vadra and DLF of wrongdoing, the Haryana Police registered an FIR after the BJP came to power in the state.