Hitender Rao is Assistant Editor covering the state of Haryana. A journalist with over two decades of experience, he writes on politics, economy, migration and legal affairs with a focus on investigative journalism.
Articles by Hitender Rao
Non-availability of DNA kits: 1,500 rape, murders cases lying pending in Haryana, says fast-track POCSO court
The precious time of the court is being wasted and the witnesses, including the doctors and experts cannot be examined in the absence of a DNA report, says court
Updated on May 21, 2023 11:42 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Ambala LS seat up for a contest before 2024 poll
The election commission (EC) will have to hold the bypoll by November 18 for Ambala, a Lok Sabha constituency reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates
Updated on May 19, 2023 12:23 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Graft case: ED likely to start money laundering probe against former CBI judge Sudhir Parmar
The central agency will conduct investigations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after registering an enforcement case information report based on the April 17 first information report (FIR) registered by ACB against the ex-CBI judge
Updated on May 18, 2023 01:35 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
ED likely to join investigation against former CBI special judge in graft case
The Bansals and Goyal have been named as accused by the CBI and ED in cases pending before the special CBI court -- a court that was presided over by Parmar.
Updated on May 18, 2023 03:20 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
2023-24 Haryana liquor policy: Now, employees of large corporate offices can sip a drink at workplace
L-10F licence will be granted for corporate office if the minimum area of canteen or eatery is not less than 2,000-square feet
Updated on May 12, 2023 12:13 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Suspended Haryana judicial officer favoured realty firms: FIR
Haryana judicial officer Sudhir Parmar has been accused of favouritism towards real estate developers Roop Bansal and his brother Basant Bansal of M3M.
Updated on May 11, 2023 12:56 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana judge trying corruption cases booked under anti-graft law
HT Exclusive: Special CBI judge Sudhir Parmar, who was suspended by the Punjab and Haryana HC two weeks ago, has been booked by the ACB for criminal misconduct
Updated on May 10, 2023 11:18 AM IST
New Haryana director general of police: State govt sets ball rolling
The Haryana government has started the process to select the next head of the state police force as the incumbent director general of police's tenure comes to an end. The state home department has sought dossiers of IPS officers who have completed at least 30 years of service and are not below the rank of additional director general. The proposal will be sent to the Union Public Service Commission which will prepare a panel of three officers, and the state government will then select the next DGP from among the shortlisted officers.
Updated on May 06, 2023 11:24 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Water deficit state: Haryana’s water demand supply chasm widening
The IWRP showed that 1,948 villages of Haryana were severely deficit in terms of groundwater availability with the depth to water table being more than 30 metres. Similarly, 1,093 villages were moderately stressed in terms of groundwater availability with the depth to water table being more than 20 metres but less than 31 metres.
Updated on May 02, 2023 12:23 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Panchkula special CBI judge suspended
Haryana judicial officer was holding trial of many high-profile cases, including those against former CM Hooda; Sudhir Parmar was holding state’s designated courts for CBI and ED cases.
Updated on Apr 28, 2023 12:35 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Structures on PLPA land: Haryana govt to seek regularisation of its unauthorised structures
Diversion as per the Forest Conservation Rules means an order issued by the state government or any authority with the approval of the Central government for the use of any forest land for non-forest purpose or assignment of a lease of any forest land for non-forest purpose.
Updated on Apr 21, 2023 12:42 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana town and country planning dept suspends colonisation licence of cloth mill in Hisar
The order issued on April 17 by director general, TCP, TL Satyaprakash, stated that it has come to his notice that an inquiry has been initiated against DCM regarding illegal sale of land and changing use of the land of the mill, which was allotted for the purpose of millwork only
Updated on Apr 19, 2023 12:43 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Gurugram land deal probe: Anti-graft law FIR against Bhupinder Hooda won’t hold water, say legal experts
Gurugram police committed a gaffe, did not take prior approval of state government before registering a PC Act case against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda; the case pertained to suspected irregularities in a land transaction which took place between Sky Light Hospitality and realty major DLF Ltd in Gurugram’s Shikohpur when the state was governed by a Congress was in power
Updated on Apr 15, 2023 11:58 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Gurugram land deal probe: Controversial mutation details sought from Haryana revenue dept
The land deal got embroiled in a controversy after Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who was then posted as director general, consolidation of holdings, set aside the mutation (number 4513) of Sky Light’s 3.53 acre on October 15, 2012.
Updated on Apr 15, 2023 12:17 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Gurugram land deal: SIT reconstituted to speed up probe against Hooda, Vadra
The SIT has been reconstituted to give “impetus to the probe” after a slap on the wrist by a Punjab and Haryana high court bench monitoring the timeline of cases against MPs and MLAs. Though being done in response to HC’s rap, the move also has political undertones as the state assembly and Lok Sabha polls are due next year.
Updated on Apr 14, 2023 02:09 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana reconstitutes SIT probing case against Vadra and Hooda
Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi, is a director of Sky Light Hospitality and the deal took place Congress's Bhupinder Singh Hooda rule.
Updated on Apr 14, 2023 01:04 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Legislature v/s Judiciary: Haryana House decides not to reply to HC notice
If the assembly’s procedure is illegal and unconstitutional, it would be open to be scrutinised in a court of law – Supreme Court
Published on Mar 18, 2023 12:59 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
After delay, 3 Gurugram Global City sites up for auction
The e-auction of three land parcels of Gurugram Global City aggregating 142.52 acres will be held on May 19. The last date to register as a bidder is May 1. The project is envisioned to come up on about 1,000 acres of Khandsa, Narsinghpur, Mohammadpur Jharsa, Garauli Khurd and Garhi Harsaru in Gurugram.
Published on Mar 14, 2023 12:47 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Police Complaint Authority: Haryana to narrow down definition of serious misconduct by cops
Varun Chaudhary, who was a member of select committee headed by deputy speaker Ranbir Gangwa, in his dissenting note said Haryana Police (Amendment) Bill, 2022, tabled in the assembly on August 10 last, is limiting State Police Complaints Authorities purview and defeating the very purpose of setting it up.
Updated on Mar 04, 2023 01:13 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Adani Power agrees to sign supplementary PPA with Haryana
The development assumes significance in view of early onset of summer and rise in the demand for electricity. State expected to face a power deficit in the range of 168 MW to 2476 MW in 2023-24
Updated on Mar 02, 2023 01:04 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana capex went down by ₹7,600 crore in 2022-23
Capital expenditure or capex is money spent by the government on creation of long-term assets like roads, healthcare facilities, bridges, infrastructure projects and for development works. Haryana’s capital expenditure went down by about ₹7,697 crore in the current financial year
Published on Mar 01, 2023 02:59 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana budget 2023-24: Making up revenue loss a challenge for Khattar in next fiscal
Generating resources for the populist measures will be a major challenge for Manohar Lal Khattar led BJP-JJP government. Revenue deficit means that the government’s revenue expenditure is in excess of its revenue or tax receipts.
Published on Feb 24, 2023 02:24 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana budget 2023-24: Social sector in focus in CM Khattar’s sop opera
Haryana chief minister (CM) Manohar Lal Khattar, who holds the finance portfolio, presented his fourth successive budget in the state assembly, allocating a sum of ₹10,254 crore for the social sector for the upcoming 2023-24 fiscal, an increase of 7.1% over the revised estimates of the current financial year.
Updated on Feb 24, 2023 02:25 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana budget: Emphasis on social sector, benefit of Ayushman Bharat extended
Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who alos holds the finance portfolio, proposed ₹1,83,950-crore state budget for 2023-24, an increase of 11.6% over revised estimates of ₹1,64,808 crore
Updated on Feb 23, 2023 02:52 PM IST
INLD MLA Abhay Chautala moves HC against Haryana Speaker’s order
Claims Speaker Gian Chand Gupta’s order to temporarily remove him from assembly violated rules as the motion to suspend him was not brought in the House
Updated on Feb 23, 2023 01:30 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana Speaker names Abhay without bringing motion for ‘unruly behaviour’
The lone INLD MLA in the Haryana assembly, Abhay Singh Chautala was on Tuesday named by the Speaker Gian Chand Gupta for two days after he entered into an argument with him over the deferral of a calling attention motion
Updated on Feb 22, 2023 10:43 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Haryana: Regulator seeks validation of farm sector power sales data
The DHBVN in a January 16 response said that while the normative loss considered was 16%, the actual line loss on agriculture feeders was between 8% to 9%. Power regulator cited discrepancies in the numbers of the highly subsidised electricity consumed by the farm sector in Haryana.
Published on Feb 18, 2023 12:56 AM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
Criminal fall and political resurrection of Gurmeet Ram Rahim
Recent developments suggest that the Sirsa-based sect is on the path to revival, with a helping hand from politicians in Haryana
Updated on Feb 17, 2023 12:55 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Sirsa
With eye on elections, bid to resurrect Dera Sacha Sauda
The dwindling numbers, both in terms of followers and offerings, besides the closure of its commercial establishments and manufacturing units brought the dera operations to a halt and put its once robust financial status under cloud.
Published on Feb 17, 2023 01:04 AM IST
No hike in Haryana power tariff despite ₹357 crore revenue gap
Going into poll mode, Haryana government owned power distribution companies -- the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), had prayed before the power regulator to allow the existing levels of electricity tariff and charges to be continued in 2023-24 financial year. The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC), which is responsible for the regulation of power sector and fixing electricity tariff in the state, seems to have played along.
Published on Feb 16, 2023 10:46 PM IST
Hitender Rao, Chandigarh
