Robert Vadra Faces Legal Action: ED Files Charge Sheet in Money Laundering Case

The Enforcement Directorate has taken significant legal action against Robert Vadra, filing a charge sheet in a money laundering case related to a controversial land deal in Haryana. This marks a pivotal moment as it is the first time a probe agency has named Vadra in a criminal case. The ED has also attached properties worth over Rs. 37 crore linked to him and his companies. Vadra has consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming the case is politically motivated. The investigation stems from allegations of fraudulent land acquisition dating back to 2008. As the legal proceedings unfold, Vadra's connections to other money laundering cases are also under scrutiny. Read on for a comprehensive overview of this developing story.

By Narendra Chaudhary Jul 17, 2025, 18:07 IST

Enforcement Directorate Takes Action Against Robert Vadra

New Delhi: On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) submitted a charge sheet against Robert Vadra, the businessman and husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in connection with a money laundering investigation tied to alleged irregularities in a land transaction in Shikohpur, Haryana, according to official sources.

This marks the first instance where a probe agency has officially named the 56-year-old Vadra in a criminal case.

The federal investigative body has also seized 43 properties valued at Rs. 37.64 crore associated with Vadra and his affiliated companies, including Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.

A provisional attachment order was issued by the agency on Wednesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Sources indicate that the charge sheet has been filed in the Rouse Avenue court under the PMLA provisions.

The charge sheet names 11 entities, including Vadra, his linked firm Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd., and individuals Satyanand Yajee and Kewal Singh Virk, along with their company Onkareshwar Properties Pvt. Ltd.

The court has yet to acknowledge the prosecution complaint.

Vadra has consistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the case is a "political vendetta" against him and his family, which includes former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

The ED's charge sheet alleges that Vadra is involved in money laundering and seeks the confiscation of the attached assets.

In April, Vadra was interrogated by the ED for three consecutive days as part of this investigation.

The money laundering case originates from a FIR filed by the Gurugram Police in September 2018, which accused Vadra of fraudulently acquiring 3.53 acres of land in Shikohpur, Gurugram, through his company SkyLight Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. from Onkareshwar Properties Pvt. Ltd. on February 12, 2008, for Rs 7.5 crore, based on a "false" declaration.

It is alleged that Vadra secured a commercial license for the land using his "personal influence."

At that time, a Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda was in power. Four years later, in September 2012, Sky Light sold the land to DLF for Rs 58 crore.

The deal became controversial in October 2012 when IAS officer Ashok Khemka, then the director general of Land Consolidation and Land Records-cum-Inspector-General of Registration of Haryana, annulled the mutation, deeming the transaction a violation of the state consolidation act and related procedures.

Additionally, the ED is investigating Vadra in two other money laundering cases, one involving UK-based arms consultant and fugitive economic offender Sanjay Bhandari, and another related to a land deal in Bikaner, Rajasthan.