On Monday, Robert Vadra had pulled out his petition from the Delhi High Court against the money-laundering probe relating to the irregularities in land transaction in Shikohpur, Haryana, after the trial court summoned him.
It was placed before a bench of Justice Manoj Jain, wherein Robert Vadra’s counsel argued that the petitioner was no longer interested in pressing the plea and sought permission to drop it. This court then dismissed the petition as withdrawn.
The case is connected to a land deal in Haryana which was under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2008-2012. The agency has charged Vadra with financial irregularities related to the deal and opened an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The withdrawal of the petition has been announced just months after the ED had opposed Vadra’s plea in court, stating that his legal challenge was based on wrong submissions. Vadra’s lawyer had argued the ED had no jurisdiction as the offences he had pointed to under the IPC and the PC Act were not considered “scheduled offences” in the PMLA at that time.
On the other hand, the ED argued that it has all the mandate to probe into the case and justified the summons issued by the trial court. The development is significant as it’s another move in a protracted land deal case against businessman and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s husband, Kramaditya Prasad.