Businessman Robert Vadra, husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, faced over six hours of questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday, after being summoned in connection with a long-standing money laundering case linked to a controversial land deal in Shikohpur, Haryana.
The 56-year-old industrialist arrived at the ED’s headquarters on APJ Abdul Kalam Road at around 10:45 am, accompanied by his lawyer, after walking the short distance from his Sujan Singh Park residence with his supporters in tow — some chanting slogans accusing the Modi government of “political vendetta.”
ED Intensifies Probe into Vadra’s Land Transactions
Vadra, who was summoned after reportedly skipping an earlier ED notice issued on April 8, has now been asked to reappear for questioning at 11 am on Wednesday. Officials said new facts had emerged during the ongoing investigation and the agency needed to confront him with these findings.
“Once he appears, his statement will be recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA),” an official source told reporters.
Vadra Calls It “Political Vendetta”
Speaking briefly before entering the ED office, Vadra struck a defiant note: “Nobody is evading anything. I am here today, and I am expecting a conclusion. I am waiting for a conclusion.”
During his lunch break at around 1:30 pm, Vadra again spoke to reporters, reiterating that the case was politically motivated.
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“How can you be talking about something that happened in 2007? There is nothing in the case, it will not take them 20 years to find out something. I’ve visited 15 times and provided 23,000 documents. Now they are asking again for the same 23,000 documents,” he said.
Vadra also accused the government of using investigative agencies to silence dissenting voices: “Whenever I express support for the people or minorities, or when I consider entering politics, these old cases are dug up to target me.”
The Shikohpur Land Deal: Timeline of Controversy
The origins of the case date back to 2008, when Skylight Hospitality, a company floated by Vadra in 2007 with a capital of just ₹1 lakh, bought 3.5 acres of land in Manesar-Shikohpur, Gurgaon for ₹7.5 crore from Onkareshwar Properties.
Within a day of the deal, the land title was mutated in Vadra’s favor — an unusually quick transfer process that typically takes months. Just weeks later, the Haryana government, led by then-Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, granted permission for the land to be developed into a housing project, causing the property’s value to skyrocket.
By June 2008, real estate giant DLF had struck a deal to purchase the same land from Vadra’s firm for ₹58 crore — marking a near 700% increase in value within just a few months.
In 2018, an FIR was registered against Hooda, Vadra, DLF, and Onkareshwar Properties under allegations of criminal conspiracy, fraud, forgery, and corruption, all of which the accused have consistently denied.
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