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Businessman Robert Vadra connected Monday (May 18, 2026) unconditionally withdrew successful the Delhi High Court his petition challenging a proceedings tribunal bid that summoned him successful a money-laundering lawsuit linked to a onshore woody successful Haryana's Shikohpur.
"Learned counsel for the petitioner, astatine the precise outset, submits that arsenic per his instructions, the petitioner is not funny successful pursuing the contiguous petition and they question to retreat the aforesaid unconditionally," Justice Manoj Jain recorded successful the order.
“The counsel for Mr. Vadra, the hubby of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, said helium would marque "appropriate submissions" earlier the proceedings tribunal astatine an "appropriate stage". All rights and contentions of the parties are kept unfastened and the petition is disposed of,” Justice Jain said.
Last week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed the petition, contending that it was based connected a mendacious ineligible submission.
The bureau made the assertion portion countering the submission by Mr. Vadra's lawyer, elder Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who argued that Enforcement Directorate (ED) lacked the jurisdiction to probe the lawsuit arsenic the offences filed against the petitioner nether the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act were not "scheduled offences" nether the Prevention of Money Laundering Act astatine the applicable time.
Mr. Singhvi argued that the onshore woody admittedly happened betwixt 2008 and 2012, and the offences forming the ground of the ED lawsuit were lone included successful the docket successful 2013 and 2018. However, the ED's lawyer said the petitioner's contention was incorrect and was a "complete mendacious connection connected law".
On April 15, 2026, the proceedings tribunal took cognisance of offences successful the complaint expanse filed by the ED successful July 2025 and asked Mr. Vadra and others to look earlier it connected May 16. This was the archetypal clip that immoderate probe bureau filed a complaint expanse against the 57-year-old Mr. Vadra successful a transgression case. In April 2025, the ED had questioned him for 3 consecutive days.
In the cognisance order, Special Judge Sushant Changotra had said the complaint expanse and a prima facie broader scrutiny of the documents, disclosed capable worldly to proceed further against Mr. Vadra and 8 different accused persons.
"Accordingly, I instrumentality cognisance of the offences nether Section 3 (money-laundering) work with Section 70 (offences committed by companies) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), punishable nether Section 4 of the Act," the justice had said. The probe against Mr. Vadra is linked to the onshore woody astatine Manesar-Shikohpur (now Sector 83) successful Gurugram district.
The woody was done successful February 2008 by a institution named Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, wherever Mr. Vadra was a manager earlier. Under the deal, the institution purchased a 3.5-acre crippled successful Shikohpur from Onkareshwar Properties for ₹7.5 crore. At the time, Haryana was ruled by the Congress authorities led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Four years later, successful September 2012, the institution sold the onshore to realty large Delhi Land and Finance (DLF) for ₹58 crore. The woody got embroiled successful contention successful October 2012 aft IAS serviceman Ashok Khemka, past posted arsenic manager wide of onshore consolidation and onshore records-cum-inspector-general of registration, cancelled the mutation aft categorising the transaction arsenic violative of the authorities consolidation enactment and immoderate related procedures.
Mr. Vadra has been denying immoderate wrongdoing, calling the lawsuit a "political vendetta" against him and his family, including erstwhile Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition successful Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
Besides Mr. Vadra, summonses were besides issued to Kewal Singh Virk, Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited (now Skylight Hospitality LLP), Sky Light Realty Private Limited, Real Earth Estates Private Limited (now Real Earth Estates LLP), Blue Breeze Trading Private Limited (now Blue Breeze Trading LLP) and others.
