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Former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and the Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the publisher of the National Herald newspaper were discharged by a special CBI court on Friday, April 3, 2026 in a money laundering case linked to illegal allotment of a plot in Panchkula, after closing the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) case against them.
The order came nearly a month after the Punjab and Haryana high court discharged Hooda on February 25 in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case, holding that the evidence on record did not even establish a prima facie case of criminality. Hooda appeared in person during the proceedings. Proceedings against the third accused, Moti Lal Vora, were abated by the special court after his death.
ED’s complaint was closed by the special Judge under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Rajeev Goyal. The case relates to the allotment of an institutional plot in Panchkula’s Sector 6 area, by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to AJL in 1982. AJL is owned by Young Indian Pvt Ltd, where Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are majority shareholders.
The plot was allotted at concessional rates for setting up the office of the National Herald newspaper.
The allotment was cancelled in 1992 after construction was not completed within the stipulated time. Appeals filed by Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) before HUDA authorities were rejected in 1995 and 1996.
In 2005, during Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s tenure as chief minister and HUDA chairman, the plot was re-allotted to AJL at the original rate along with interest. The decision was later approved by the HUDA Authority.
The issue resurfaced in 2016 when the Haryana Vigilance Bureau registered a case alleging irregularities in the re-allotment and claiming a loss to the public exchequer. The probe was later taken over by the CBI.
In April 2021, a special CBI court ordered framing of charges against Hooda and AJL under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and cheating, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated a parallel probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in 2019 based on the CBI case.
Hooda and AJL challenged the charges before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In February 2026, the high court set aside the trial court’s order, saying the evidence on record did not establish the basic ingredients of the alleged offences, and discharged the accused.
Following this, a special PMLA court also closed the ED case and discharged Hooda and AJL in the money laundering matter.
