The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former CEO of Noida Authority and retired IAS officer Sanjeev Saran for questioning in connection with the multi-crore Hacienda land scam. The notice comes as part of the agency’s expanding probe into alleged illegal land allotments and financial irregularities involving senior officials and private builders.
The Hacienda Project, which dates back to the BSP government’s tenure, is under the scanner for a series of questionable transactions. During the tenure of then-Noida Authority CEO Mohinder Singh, approximately 36,000 square meters of land in Noida was allotted to Hacienda Project Pvt. Ltd. for township development. Investigators allege that the company not only misused investor funds but also sold a significant portion of the land to Prateek Group without obtaining mandatory approvals from the Authority and without making the required payments.
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ED Raids and Asset Recovery
Last year, the ED conducted raids at various locations linked to Hacienda Group, including the residence of Mohinder Singh in Chandigarh. The operation led to the recovery of Rs 1 crore in cash, gold jewellery worth Rs 7 crore, diamonds valued at Rs 12 crore, and a cache of incriminating documents believed to shed light on the land misappropriation and alleged money laundering.
Sanjeev Saran’s Role Under Scrutiny
Sanjeev Saran served two terms as CEO of the Noida Authority — first from September 2005 to May 2007, and again from May 2012 to January 2013. The ED is examining his role in the allotment of land and approvals issued during these periods, which may have contributed to the scam.
Notably, this is not the first time Saran has faced scrutiny. In 2012, the Allahabad High Court ordered his removal, along with then-chairman Rakesh Bahadur, after exposing a Rs 4,721 crore hotel plot allotment scam that occurred during their administrative tenure between 2005 and 2007.
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Ongoing Investigation
Earlier, the ED had questioned another former IAS officer, Ramaraman, for over eight hours regarding the same case. Ramaraman had also sought anticipatory bail, which the ED opposed in court. As the investigation deepens, more former officials linked to Noida Authority during that period are expected to be called in for questioning. The ED’s investigation falls under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and focuses on the misuse of government land, financial misconduct, and undue benefits extended to private builders through fraudulent approvals and transactions.
With the summoning of Sanjeev Saran, the probe into Noida’s real estate irregularities appears to be entering a more aggressive phase, targeting high-ranking officials accused of facilitating large-scale land scams that have impacted both public resources and private investors.