The Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (HVSCB) has filed a detailed charge sheet against suspended CBI-ED (Central Bureau of Investigation-Enforcement Directorate) Special Court Judge (Panchkula) Sudhir Parmar. It indicated that the ED did not confiscate properties in accordance with the Joint Cooperation Agreement (IREO-M3M).
The case originated in April 2023 when the special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court judge and others were charged with corruption by then ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau) for dispensing favours for builders who were on trial in the Panchkula special CBI court. A First Information Report (FIR) was submitted against Sudhir, his nephew Ajay Parmar and M3M director Roop Kumar Bansal.
The charge sheet further revealed that the actions of agency officials and the investigating officer are also under probe. Additionally, the charge sheet referenced the luxury vehicles unlawfully obtained by Sudhir which have been specifically identified by the ED within the document.
During the ED’s property attachment proceedings, cooperation agreements were established between IREO and M3M Group for 22.61875 acres in Sector 61 and 30.256 acres in Sector 58 of Gurugram. Likewise, five development agreements encompassing approximately 78 acres were finalized in Bhiwadi of Rajasthan.
M3M paid IREO with ₹700-800 crore for the development rights. Bansal used Sudhir to pressure Lalit Goyal of IREO into registering the land, based on audio recordings submitted to the HVSCB, as per reports.
The charge sheet outlined a conversation where Judge Sudhir guaranteed that the properties would not be subject to attachment. This had been substantiated by the ED’s attachment order from 14th October 2022, which did not include these properties. Sudhir asserted that he did not allow Bansal to be considered an accused in ED cases during his conversation with an unidentified person, according to the charge sheet.
The vigilance agency pointed out in the charge sheet that a plot measuring 327.96 square yards located in Gurugram’s Signature Avenue in Sector 82 was acquired in the name of Sudhir’s sister-in-law, Pushpa Devi, via a conveyance deed dated 15th April 2022 for ₹1.80 crore. However, its market value exceeded ₹4.25-4.40 crore. The outstanding payment was facilitated through illicit funds. An earnest payment of ₹50 lakh was made while the remaining balance was settled using a post-dated check.
Additionally, a 10 kanal piece of land located in Sampka village along the Pataudi-Gurugram road was acquired on 29th April 2022 by Ajay, Mohan Lal Sharma and Sai Transport’s owner Rohit Singh Tomar in a ratio of 20:40:40, for only ₹1.01 crore. A WhatsApp message sent by Ajay to Tomar on 11th January 2022 confirmed that the actual price was ₹5.3 crore with one share registered in the name of the judge. This was subsequently changed to Ajay’s name during the registration process.
Similarly, the development of Pushpa Devi’s multi-storey residence in Gurugram incurred an expense of ₹1.5-2 crore and the establishment of a CNG/petrol station required an additional ₹1 crore. The family also secured a loan amounting to ₹2.7 crore.
Sudhir assured that should Bansal be acquitted in the CBI case, he would prevent him from being implicated in the ED case, in a separate recording featuring the two. The document stated that Sudhir emphasised his interaction with Sunil Yadav (an ED officer) who would not permit the property to be seized, provided a valid explanation for the financial transaction is presented, in another recording concerning assets valued at ₹1,200 crore.
The recording: Sir, I would like to make a request for a registry. Sudhir: I have informed Sunil and he mentioned that I have told him. I have directly spoken to Saket (Deputy Director, ED) who is an IRS officer. The IO’s work takes place without his involvement. Meet Saket instead of Manoj Mishra (an ED officer). Saket will examine all the documents and inform you. If the papers are legitimate, you will receive approval.
The charge sheet conveyed that he was made the Special Court Judge on 18th November 2021. The ED launched a Prosecution Complaint (PC) against Goyal, accusing him of misappropriating funds from homebuyers and transferring ₹1,777.48 crore abroad, in January 2022.
Background of the matter
The ED arrested the suspended judge in a money laundering case linked to bribery. The FIR stated that Sudhir Parmar, who was suspended on 27th April 2023 after being booked a few day earlier on 17th April, is accused of displaying favouritism towards real estate developers Roop Bansal and his brother Basant Bansal of M3M and Lalit Goyal of IREO Group.
On 13th June 2023, the central agency registered an enforcement case information report (ECIR) and began PMLA inquiry. The FIR was filed by ACB on 17th April under sections 7, 8, 11 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code for offences involving bribery, undue advantage, criminal misconduct by a public servant and criminal conspiracy which served as the basis for the ECIR.
According to FIR, Sudhir had been charged with demanding between ₹5 to ₹7 crore in exchange for helping the accused in a case and WhatsApp messages disclosed that he even received ₹5 crore in the IREO (India Real Estate Opportunities Fund) case.
The FIR additionally unveiled that Ajay held a position as a legal advisor at the real estate firm M3M and Sudhir utilized his mobile phone for various transactions. Furthermore, it highlighted discussions between the latter and Bansal.
Sudhir was employed in Gurugram where he interacted with the promoters of M3M and IREO, before his judicial appointment in Panchkula. Ajay secured a position as Deputy Manager (Legal) at M3M in December 2020, earning an annual salary ranging from ₹8-10 lakh which was raised to ₹18-20 lakh following his uncle’s ascension to the role of CBI-ED judge.
The FIR conveyed that Sudhir breached ethical guidelines by conversing about ongoing IREO-M3M cases with Bansal at his home on 12th August 2022. During the meeting, Bansal requested assistance concerning ED approval for the registration of the project land.
According to HVSCB, Sudhir and his family acquired properties valued at ₹7-8 crore within a mere span of 3-4 months, despite lacking the ability to repay the loan.
