The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a detailed chargesheet against businessman Robert Vadra husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accusing him of illegally earning ₹58 crore through a fraudulent Gurugram land deal. The case, linked to a shady transaction in Shikohpur village, has also named two of Vadra’s close associates, Satyanand Yajee and Kewal Singh Virk, as well as multiple companies tied to him.
Filed under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED is seeking a three to seven-year jail term for the accused, alongside confiscation of all assets identified as proceeds of crime. A Special PMLA Court will now hear the matter.
The Land Deal at the Heart of the Case
The origins of the case trace back to a 2018 FIR by Haryana Police, which also named former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and real estate giant DLF Ltd. According to the ED, Vadra’s company M/s Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (SLHPL) purchased 3.5 acres from Onkareshwar Properties Pvt. Ltd. for ₹7.5 crore as per the sale deed, though the actual agreed price was ₹15 crore.
Shockingly, the cheque payment shown in the deed was never encashed effectively meaning no real payment was made. The agency alleges this was part of a quid pro quo arrangement: in return for Vadra’s influence, Onkareshwar Properties allegedly secured a commercial licence in the same village.
The ED claims that only 1.35 acres of the land met eligibility norms for such a licence short of the required two acres—but officials in the Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) manipulated records, even including land reserved for a sector road, to make the deal appear compliant.
The ₹58 Crore Windfall and Its Route
Once the commercial licence was granted—at an unusually rapid pace—the land was sold to DLF for a staggering ₹58 crore, generating illicit profits.
The ED’s probe revealed that ₹5 crore from the sale went through M/s Blue Breeze Trading Pvt. Ltd., while ₹53 crore flowed through SLHPL. The money was allegedly used by Vadra to:
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Buy immovable properties
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Make investments
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Extend loans
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Settle corporate liabilities
A provisional attachment order has been issued on 43 immovable properties worth ₹38.69 crore. These include land in Bikaner, commercial units in Gurugram, Mohali, and Noida, and residential flats in Ahmedabad. Some assets are directly in Vadra’s name, while others are held via companies such as M/s Sky Light Realty Pvt. Ltd., M/s Real Earth Estates Pvt. Ltd., and M/s Artex.
Robert Vadra’s office has dismissed the ED’s charges as “an extension of the political witch-hunt by the present government.” The defence claims that all transactions were legal and that the case is motivated by vendetta.
However, the ED maintains its findings are backed by documentary evidence, witness statements including admissions by DTCP staff about “pressure from higher authorities” and financial trails tracing the ₹58 crore windfall to Vadra-linked entities.
A Case with Political and Legal Shockwaves
If proven in court, the allegations against Robert Vadra would mark one of the most high-profile money laundering convictions in India’s political history. Beyond the personal ramifications for Vadra, the case underscores the deep nexus between politics, real estate, and administrative manipulation in high-value urban land deals.
While Robert Vadra legal team calls this a politically motivated assault, the ED insists it has built a watertight case of corruption, forgery, and influence-peddling. As the trial progresses in the Special PMLA Court, the nation will be watching closely both for justice in the courtroom and for accountability in the corridors of