HC reserves judgment on Hooda’s plea challenging constitution of Dhingra panel

The panel was set up in 2015 to probe allegations that laws were flouted in granting land licences in Gurugram during the Hooda-led Congress regime.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday reserved its judgment on plea of former Haryana chief minister (CM) Bhupinder Singh Hooda, challenging the constitution Justice (retd) SN Dhingra Commission.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda (HT File)

The panel was set up in 2015 to probe allegations that laws were flouted in granting land licences in Gurugram during the Hooda-led Congress regime. Among the alleged beneficiary companies were one owned by Robert Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi.

The court had summoned report too. While the government submitted that it can’t be opened by a court since it is to be tabled in the assembly.

Hooda’s counsel submitted that the report was produced by the government in some other matter before the Supreme Court last year. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal is defending Hooda in this matter while solicitor general Tushar Mehta is appearing on behalf of the Haryana government.

Hooda has claimed that chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar did not have ‘material’ evidence before him when he decided to order the commission probe on May 13, 2015, which, he said, is a prerequisite in ordering such a probe.

The Dhingra panel submitted its report on August 31, 2016. The state government gave an undertaking in November 2016 not to release the report without the court’s permission. Hooda had challenged in November 2016.