Manesar land acquisition case: CBI asked to withdraw lookout notice for ex-Haryana officer’s son

The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to withdraw the lookout notice issued for Kartik Tayal, son of a former

The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to withdraw the lookout notice issued for Kartik Tayal, son of a former Haryana bureaucrat who is being probed in infamous Manesar land acquisition case.

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The notice was issued in 2017. Kartik is son of Murari Lal Tayal, who, along with former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has been named by CBI in the scam.

Allegations are that their action caused wrongful loss of nearly ₹1,500 crore to the land owners in four villages, including Manesar in Gurugram, while availing a windfall gain for themselves and several real-estate builders. Kartik, too, was named in the FIR as accused.

He had told the court that he had to go abroad for medical treatment and the lookout notice is ‘fettering’ his right to travel abroad. It was also told that he has not been arrested till date and has joined the investigation whenever called to do so.

The court observed that the conditions for lookout notice, such as preventing arrest, are not met in the case in hand and Kartik has gone abroad and returned on six occasions. The continuation of a lookout notice for more than three years against the petitioner is a violation of his fundamental right to life and personal liberty, the court said, asking CBI to withdraw the same. However, Kartik was asked to furnish an undertaking before the investigating officer concerned that he would present himself whenever required by the investigating agency.