In a significant development in the high-profile Manesar land scam case, the Supreme Court of India has stayed the trial proceedings against former Haryana IAS officer Rajeev Arora until further notice. The apex court’s decision came in response to a petition filed by Arora challenging the summoning order issued by a special CBI court.
Background: Charges and Legal Battle
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a chargesheet in the Manesar land scam case, accusing several individuals of criminal conspiracy and cheating under Sections 120-B and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). On December 1, 2020, the special CBI court directed that Rajeev Arora be summoned for trial.
Arora challenged this summoning order before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which initially granted a stay on December 14, 2020. However, the high court dismissed his revision plea on May 15, 2025, upholding the special court’s decision as legally valid.
Supreme Court Intervention
Following the high court ruling, Arora approached the Supreme Court, which on May 29, 2025, issued a notice to the respondents and ordered that the proceedings against Rajeev Arora be stayed until the next hearing. The interim stay was granted by a bench led by Chief Justice BR Gavai.
Trial Continues for Other Accused
Despite the stay for Arora, the special CBI court, under Judge Rajeev Goyal, continued proceedings on June 6, 2025, for the remaining accused in the case. The court noted that Dhare Singh, Kulwant Singh Lamba, and D.R. Dhingra are yet to present arguments on charge framing.
While the defence sought additional time to prepare, the court scheduled the next hearing for July 10, 2025. The judge declined a request from Senior Public Prosecutor Harsh Mohan Singh to frame charges immediately against the available accused, emphasizing that a piecemeal approach would be inappropriate. A consolidated charge framing will occur after hearing all the arguments.
Overview: What Is the Manesar Land Scam?
The Manesar land scam is a multi-crore corruption case involving allegations of fraudulent land acquisition by senior government officials and private entities in Haryana. The scam centers on claims that land was forcibly or deceitfully acquired from farmers at artificially low rates, resulting in massive profits for those involved. The CBI probe has implicated several senior bureaucrats, including IAS officers, making it one of the most closely watched corruption cases in the state.
The Supreme Court’s interim stay for Rajeev Arora is likely to influence how the case progresses in the coming months, especially regarding judicial scrutiny of administrative accountability.
