Who stopped ED probe against Ansal API?
U.P. government to reopen all cases against Ansal API, including halted ED probe, amid concerns over compliance and homebuyer complaints.
The Uttar Pradesh government is planning to reopen all pending cases against Ansal API, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe which was abruptly stopped around three years ago. The government also wants to know why the ED probe was stopped midway and whether any official was involved in this closure.
The state government is exploring all options against Ansal API to make the case foolproof against the developer in the Supreme Court and the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT).
According to officials in the state government, the ED’s zonal office in the state capital was probing complaints against Ansal API. The investigation was going on at a regular pace but the probe was stopped all of a sudden without any reason.
Till then, the ED had collected relevant details against the developer and had lodged cases in Lucknow and cities across four other states, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan. Now, when the ED has reopened all cases against the Ansal API, on the agency’s radar is also an NRI who had allegedly invested ₹150 crore in the Ansal API.
The agency has also asked the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) to provide details of all cases against the developer. A former managing director of the Ansal API, who is an ex-IAS officer, is also under the ED scanner. The U.P. RERA has also decided to expedite all pending cases against the Ansal API.
According to U.P. RERA chairman Sanjay Bhoosreddy, the Ansal API has still not complied with its 1234 orders. The regulatory authority has also issued 619 recovery certificates of over ₹113 crore to the Ansal API. Along with this, it has issued 27 more recovery certificates of ₹19.73 crore against the developer for non-compliance with its orders and violation of the RERA Act.
In addition, the U.P. RERA imposed a penalty of ₹14.40 crore on Ansal API in six cases in January this year on charges of unlawful registration of sale deeds of plots without registering the land parcel in question with the regulator.
The U.P. RERA has sent all the recovery certificates to the Lucknow district magistrate for recovery. It has also sent all details to insolvency resolution professional (IRP) Navneet Gupta appointed by the NCLT.
The Ansal API had filed a 48-page petition in the NCLT, declaring itself bankrupt, in February this year. “The LDA will challenge Ansal API’s plea in the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal,” Prathamesh Kumar, vice chairman, Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), said.
The Ansal API high-tech township was approved on May 21, 2005, on 1765 acres at Sultanpur road and its DPR was approved on May 22, 2006. Thereafter, the project was expanded to 3530 acres on June 3, 2009 and the new DPR was approved on May 18, 2010.
The final project spanning 6465 acres was approved on December 13, 2013 and its DPR was approved by the LDA on May 23, 2015. However, under the new township policy of the state government, the project was cut down to 4689.79 acres on December 16, 2021 and its DPR was approved on September 27, 2022.
The DPR was handed over to the developer on April 13, 2023 on condition that it will carry out development work in the township. However, the developer failed to carry out the development work. In the township, 411 acres was also mortgaged with the LDA.
The LDA lodged an FIR against the Ansal API at Gomti Nagar police station on March 5. According to the FIR, the developer sold the land mortgaged with the land illegally and did not carry out any development work. The FIR also said that the developer sold the plots in the township illegally. The project was to be completed in three phases.
It is alleged in the FIRs lodged against Ansal API that homebuyers in several cities, including Lucknow and Gautam Buddh Nagar, across the state have been allegedly duped by the developer. Despite paying the allotment amount, a large number of homebuyers are yet to get possession of the land/plot or refund.
The land acquired for the Defence Corridor project in Bhatgaon village under Sarojininagar tehsil is also under the state government’s scanner. The land in question was acquired when Abhishek Prakash was the district magistrate of Lucknow.
