High Court grants two weeks’ time
New Delhi, Oct 31:
The Delhi High Court, hearing a petition
alleging land allotment at a throwaway price to private operator Delhi
International Airport Ltd (DIAL) for the Indira Gandhi International Airport
here, on Wednesday asked the Union Government to submit documents related to
the allotment of land.
A division bench of Chief Justice D. Murugesan
and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw granted two weeks’ time to the Government to
file documents after Additional Solicitor General A.S. Chandhiok said a report
of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the issue had been submitted
and the matter had been referred to a Parliamentary committee.
“The matter is pending before the Parliamentary
committee which is looking into the issues,” Chandhiok said.
The court posted the matter for November 21. The
public interest litigation (PIL) alleged that the Government gave away “190
acres of prime land and assets to DIAL at a throwaway price”.
Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate
M.N. Krishnamani asked the court not to dispose of the plea saying
“Parliamentary committee cannot consider the criminal aspect of matter which is
to be dealt with by CBI”.
The PIL sought a court-monitored investigation
into the decision of the authorities to allot land to DIAL, a private
consortium, for the airport at a throwaway price.
The court had earlier asked the Government to
give details of steps taken after the CAG submitted its report.
Youth Against Corruption, an NGO, has filed the
PIL and told the court that, “the CAG report has listed out a number of glaring
examples of favouritism towards DIAL, causing huge losses to the exchequer”.
“By just investing Rs1,813 crore, GMR (which
runs DIAL) now owns 4,700 acres of land in the most prime location of India.
State largesse has been passed into private hands virtually free,” the petition
said.
The NGO contended that its complaint submitted
to the Prime Minister and the Central Bureau of Investigation on the alleged
irregularities August 22 evoked no response.
The petitioner sought a court-monitored
investigation by the CBI or a special investigation team into the issue.
“It is submitted that the above favours have
been given to DIAL when Praful Patel was the Civil Aviation Minister. His
involvement and that of other officers for some personal benefits cannot be
ruled out,” alleged the petition.
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