Robert Vadra appears before ED in Jaipur for second consecutive day
Jaipur : Robert Vadra, Congress president Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law, appeared before the ED at its zonal office here for the second consecutive day on Wednesday for questioning into an alleged land scam in the Rajasthan's Bikaner district.
On Tuesday, Vadra and his mother Maureen had appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Jaipur. Congress general secretary and his wife Priyanka Gandhi had accompanied them to the probe agency's office.
Vadra arrived at the ED office on Bhawani Singh road at 10.26 am in a vehicle amid tight security.
Maureen, who had appeared before the ED on Tuesday, was allowed to go after some time, while her son was grilled for nearly nine hours.
The Rajasthan High Court had asked Vadra and his mother to cooperate with the agency after they approached it seeking directions that no coercive action is taken against them by the agency, following which the duo appeared before the ED in Jaipur.
In the Bikaner case, the agency had summoned Vadra thrice but he failed to appear and later approached the court.
The ED had registered a criminal case in connection with the deal in 2015, taking cognisance of a clutch of FIRs and chargesheets filed by Rajasthan police after the tehsildar of Bikaner complained about alleged forgery in the allotment of land in the area, considered sensitive due to its proximity to the India-Pakistan border.
It is understood that the agency wants to question Vadra about the operations of a firm Ms Skylight Hospitality Private Limited allegedly linked to him, which had purchased land in the area. It also wants to confront Vadra with the statements of those said to be linked to him.
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Officials instructed to make sure no untoward incident during Bengaluru IPL match: Home Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said that preparations have been made for the inaugural IPL match at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy stadium on March 28, and the instructions have been given to police, the authorities and KSCA, which manages the venue, to ensure that there are no untoward incidents.
He also complimented the KSCA for installing a memorial plaque at the stadium in the honour of those killed in the stampede during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL victory celebration on June 4 last year.
Eleven people were killed, and a number of people were injured in the stampede outside the stadium, following which matches were stopped at the venue.
"The government has allowed the match to be held on March 28. All the corrections that were required have been done by the KSCA. The committee formed by the government, consisting of officials from the police, Greater Bengaluru Authority and other departments, is satisfied with the measures implemented by KSCA," Parameshwara said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that police, KSCA and RCB have made all the necessary preparations for the IPL's inaugural match here on March 28.
"Also, necessary instructions have been given to ensure that untoward incidents don't repeat, and they too have agreed to it," he added.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28.
Parameshwara said, following the tragedy during RCB's IPL victory celebrations, KSCA and the government had to face a lot of criticism globally. The government intervened and took several measures, including constituting the Justice John Michael Cunha Commission to look into the lapses.
After the commission submitted a report with recommendations, the government asked the KSCA to implement them, he said. "There are long and short-term recommendations. Since the KSCA made corrections as per recommendations, the matches have been permitted," he added.
