Panchkula,
The Central Bureau of Investigation today filed a voluminous chargesheet, running into 80,000 pages, against 34 persons, including former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, former Union Public Service Commission member Chhatar Singh, former Principal Secretaries Murari Lal Tayal and SS Dhillon, promoter of Gurgaon-based real estate company ABW Builders Atul Bansal and 29 builders and companies, in the Manesar land deal case.

They face charges under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and 471 (using forged document or electronic record) of the IPC and Sections 13 (1)(2) read with 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The investigating officer carried documents to the CBI court in two almirahs.
The CBI alleged that the Haryana Government issued notifications under Sections 4 (August 27, 2004) and 6 (August 25, 2005) of the Land Acquisition Act for acquiring land measuring about 912 acres in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula in Gurgaon district to set up an industrial model township.

Subsequently, threatening the farmers with the acquisition process, private builders, in connivance with public servants, including important functionaries, purchased about 350 acres from farmers of these three villages at throwaway rates of Rs 20-25 lakh (approximately) per acre. It was alleged that when some farmers refused to sell land, the government issued another notification under Section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act. Thereafter, the private builders purchased another 50 acres (approx) at Rs 1.5 crore (approx) per acre. Next, an order was passed on August 24, 2007, releasing the land in favour of builders, their companies and agents, instead of the original landowners

According to the chargesheet, land measuring more than 400 acres, then valued at more than Rs 4 crore (approx) per acre, totalling about Rs 1,600 crore (approx), was allegedly purchased by builders from gullible landowners for Rs 100 crore (approx), causing them a loss of more than Rs 1,500 crore.