Noida land scam: CBI will shut file

After nearly two years of investigation, the CBI has started winding up the 2005 Noida land scam in which top politicians, bureaucrats and their relatives were allotted posh residential plots after a ‘computerised’ draw of lots. The CBI has concluded there is a lack of concrete evidence in the case

All the high-profile politicians, bureaucrats and their relatives, who were ‘coincidentally’ and ‘miraculously’ picked by a draw of lots for coveted residential plots in Noida, can now thank their lucky stars.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was probing how so many influential people got the plots, will close it soon.

According to sources, the process of winding down the case began recently when investigators concluded there isn’t enough evidence to continue. The case emerges as a classic example of how political compulsions decide the fate of an investigation by the CBI.

Let’s begin from the beginning. The Naveen Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) had sought applications to allot 1,250 plots in 2004. These plots were to be given after a computerised draw of lots. Of the 1,250 plots, 625 were kept for the general category and the rest were in the reserved category.

The draw took place on July 2, 2005.  What followed was a huge public outcry when it came out that many of the general category plots had been awarded to the high and mighty of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

At least 30 politicians and their relatives got lucky in the ‘computerised’ draw. Most of these politicians belonged to the Samajwadi Party, which was ruling UP at that time. The wife of an SP bigwig also got a piece of land. Interestingly, she had given her father’s name in her application form. Besides, there were more than 40 IAS, IPS, PCS and PPS officers and their relatives, who got to dip their fingers in the pie.

The sister-in-law of the then chief executive officer of Noida, Dev Dutt, and the former vice-chairman of the Lucknow Development Authority, BB Singh, got hold of some real estate as well. The wives of the then SSP, Noida and DM, Ghaziabad picked up plots too.

The ‘computer’ also bestowed its generosity on half a dozen employees of an industrial house considered close to the SP leaders. All these employees had given their office address in the applications submitted to the Noida. 

Some judicial officers and their relatives also proved lucky amongst 1,66,801 general category applicants. The then chief justice of India YK Sabharwal’s daughter-in-law Sheeba was one of them. After his retirement, Sabharwal clarified that though more than six of his relatives had applied, his daughter-in-law proved lucky. A top law officer in UP was also allotted a plot.

After a massive outpouring of public anger, Noida decided to cancel the draw. The Allahabad high court, where the draw was challenged, found glaring irregularities in the way the draw of lots had taken place. The court quashed all allotments as ‘arbitrary’ and ordered a CBI inquiry in the case.

However, the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime challenged the order in the Supreme Court, which stayed the investigation on November 11, 2005. It took two years and a regime change in Lucknow for the stay to get vacated in the Supreme Court.

The newly-installed Mayawati government in Lucknow, realising an opportunity to annoy Mulayam Singh, changed the government’s stand in court. While the Mulayam government had opposed a CBI inquiry, the Mayawati government told the court that it has no objection to an inquiry. After this, the apex court vacated its stay on the CBI inquiry on November 22, 2007. By the time the investigative agency swung into action, two precious years had been lost and conspirators had got enough time to cover their tracks.