india

Updated: Jan 26, 2016 17:33 IST

The Rajasthan Police have cleared the Robert Vadra-promoted Sky Light Hospitality of any wrongdoing, saying the company was a victim of “conspiracy” and “cheating” as grabbed government land was sold to it.

The police investigation in a case lodged by the Vasundhara Raje-led state government in 2014 found that 69.55 hectares of land was sold to the company promoted by Vadra and his mother on the basis of forged papers. Vadra is the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and has been accused by the BJP of land grab in Rajasthan and Haryana.

Deputy superintendent of police Ramavtar Soni told HT that as a bona fide purchaser Vadra was “certainly a victim of fraud” and he had been “cheated”.

MP (Lok Sabha) from Bikaner Arjun Ram Meghwal, who had leveled allegations against Vadra of acquiring government land, said he was not aware of the outcome of the police probe.

Congress legislator Bhanvarsingh Bhati, however, termed the entire probe a “publicity stunt” by the BJP which he said ended as a “flop show”.

HT has accessed the police report that says a total of 69.55 hectare was purchased in 2010 by Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd which it sold to Allegeny Finlease Pvt Ltd in 2012.

The report also names nine people who allegedly forged the documents to sell government land to the company. Of them, six have been arrested.

In all, 18 cases were registered by Bikaner police in the alleged land grab case and four of them were related to the land sold to Sky Light Hospitality Pvt Ltd.

The police report also says Mahesh Nagar, who purchased the land for the company, was a key prosecution witness and Vadra was not aware of the land deals.

The BJP government in 2013 announced initiating an inquiry against land deals by Vadra in Bikaner after the UPA government launched an investigation against the Gujarat “snoopgate” scandal.

In an interview with HTin December 2013, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje said an investigation into the land deals had found instances of “wrongdoing”.