SC seeks asset details of ex-Haryana MLA
New Delhi, June 18 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought the details of assets of former Haryana Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhoker and his family along with an undertaking to address the claims of hundreds of homebuyers allegedly cheated into investing in real estate projects linked to his company.
A bench of justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, hearing Chhoker's plea for bail in a money laundering case, granted him 24 hours for the disclosure. "You file an affidavit disclosing the manner in which you intend to resolve or repay the money to the homebuyers for completion of projects," the bench said, while posting the matter for further hearing on Friday.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Chhoker, told the bench that his client was willing to provide an undertaking to resolve claims arising from three housing projects developed by Mahira Homes. He stated that in two projects, 80% and 50% work is complete while the third project relates to refund of money worth Rs.90 crore.
The bench noted that the total claims against the petitioner and his sons amount to Rs.1,100 crore. While Singhvi submitted that his client was willing to refund affected buyers, the court observed: "The question is not that you have agreed to refund but whether you have refunded or not." Additional solicitor general Anil Kaushik, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), urged the court to seek details of the family's assets and a roadmap explaining how funds would be arranged to compensate homebuyers. He also pointed out that properties already attached by ED could not be used for repayment purposes.
According to ED, Chhoker and his family run M/s Sai Aaina Farms Pvt Ltd was granted a licence by the Haryana government to construct around 1,500 flats by the 2021-22 . However, despite collecting over Rs.363 crore from nearly 1,500 homebuyers, the company allegedly failed to deliver possession....
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