The Supreme Court has issued notice on a petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging a Punjab and Haryana High Court order that had discharged former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Associated Journals Limited in a case relating to the alleged irregular allotment of land in Panchkula.
The Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma on Monday sought responses from the respondents and listed the matter for further hearing in July.
On February 25, 2026, the High Court held that the re-allotment of the plot to Associated Journals Limited was legally valid and had not been declared unlawful or cancelled by any competent authority. It further observed that the investigating agency could not unilaterally characterise the allotment as illegal in the absence of any prior administrative or statutory determination to that effect.
Appearing for CBI, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju argued that the plot in question was originally allotted to Associated Journals Limited in 1982 by the Haryana Urban Development Authority on a no-profit-no-loss basis. As no construction was undertaken within the stipulated period of 10 years, the authority resumed possession in accordance with the applicable allotment conditions.
The national agency alleged that in 2005, during Hooda’s tenure as Chief Minister, a proposal was initiated to restore the same plot to the allottee at the original price along with applicable interest. It was further alleged that although certain reservations were recorded at the administrative level regarding the mode of re-allotment, including the possibility of disposal at prevailing market rates or through a competitive process, the proposal was ultimately placed before the competent authority without such objections being formally recorded or pursued.
The restoration of the allotment was thereafter approved without dissent, resulting in the plot being re-allotted to Associated Journals Limited. CBI has contended that this decision was the outcome of a criminal conspiracy and amounted to abuse of official position, causing wrongful loss to the public exchequer and corresponding wrongful gain to the beneficiaries.
On this basis, a Special Court in 2021 had taken cognisance and framed charges against the accused under provisions relating to criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Indian Penal Code, along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act concerning misuse of official position for pecuniary advantage.
The High Court, however, set aside the criminal proceedings and gave a clean chit to the accused, prompting the present challenge before the Supreme Court.
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