In a massive blow to the Gandhis in the National Herald case, properties worth Rs. 64 crores have been attached permanently by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). These properties, located in Haryana's Panchkula, were attached by the probe agency in December 2018 and now, the adjudicating authority has confirmed the attachment.

As per inputs, the ED had sought court permission to attach the properties as a permanent attachment, following which the move has been taken. The order of ED was already approved by adjudicating authority after granting a hearing to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) which had appealed against the attachment and lost.

Additionally, the ED has also chargesheeted former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda over alleged illegal allotment of land to AJL.

As per the adjudicating authority notice:

"The Adjudicating Authority under Prevention of Money Laundering Act has confirmed the provisional attachment order by the ED wherein Plot Number C 17 Sector 6 Panchkula involved in the commission of the crime as the same was illegally allotted to AJL by the then CM of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda."

Here's the press release by the ED:

The ED investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Act has revealed that the plot number C-17, sector 6, Panchkula was allotted to the AJL in the year 1982 as per the request of the company to start the Nav-Jivan newspaper. As AJL did not comply with the terms and conditions of the allotment, the estate officer, HUDA (Haryana Urban Development Authority), Panchkula in 1992 held that AJL violated the requisite terms and conditions of the allotment letter by not starting the construction and completing the same within the stipulated period, and resumed the properties.

However, the ED adds:

"Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the then CM of Haryana blatantly misused his official position and dishonestly allotted the said plot afresh in the guise of re-allotment to the AJL at original rates plus interest in violation of necessary conditions/policy of HUDA in 2005."

It adds, "The then CM caused wrongful loss to HUDA and wrongful gain to AJL by ignoring legal opinion of LR, Haryana and recommendations of HUDA officers and FCTCP"

Speaking to Republic TV after the Wednesday development, Dr Subramanian Swamy said that by attaching the properties permanently, the ED can auction them and recover the money that has been lost in the alleged corruption.

"In the National Herald Case, the government had given land at low cost in different states for the printing press. It is alleged that the Congress government sold those land piece by piece for other purposes," Dr Swamy said.

Enlisting the names against whom the case had been registered, Swamy said: "There are six people and all are out on bail, namely Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Motilal Vohra, Oscar Fernandes, and Sam Pitroda."

Earlier in 2018, the Delhi High Court did not stay the Herald House eviction notice, and the Haryana Governor sanctioned the prosecution of Ex-CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Republic TV had then accessed the show-cause notice issued by the government to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper, detailing the violations leading up to the eviction notice.