National Herald Scam: Rs 64 Crore Worth Property Of Congress Mouthpiece AJL To Be Attached In Panchkula

In a major setback to the Congress, Associated Journals Limited (AJL) is all set to lose its property worth Rs 64 crores in Haryana, reports India Today.

The adjudicating authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has confirmed the provisional attachment order which was attached by the Enforcement Directorate(ED) last year.

An order was issued by the ED on 1 December in which it stated that Plot No. C-17, Sector 6, Panchkula had been part of the commission of a crime. This plot was allotted to the AJL by the then chief minister of Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

According to the ED, the plot was allotted to AJL in 1982 but the Estate Officer of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) re-took possession of it through an order dated October 30, 1992, as the AJL was found to contravene conditions of the allotment letter.

The ED has asserted that the then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Huda, took advatege of his office, and wrongly allotted the said property at some throwaway prices and even went on to unlawfully facilitate three extensions for construction in the plot, thus causing major losses to the HUDA.