Chandigarh: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday filed four chargesheets in the Manesar land scam case, naming M3M Group promoter Roop Bansal as an accused. The chargesheets were filed before the court of Special CBI Judge Vijayant Sehgal in Panchkula, which fixed Dec 11 as the next date of hearing.Bansal’s naming in the latest chargesheets is significant as the investigation into the controversial land acquisition and release process continues to bring private real estate players under scrutiny. The Manesar land scam relates to alleged collusion between private builders and government officials to acquire land from farmers at substantially lower prices by using the threat of government acquisition. The CBI’s original case concerns land in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula villages of Gurugram district.The state government had issued a notification on August 27, 2004, under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act for acquiring around 912 acres for setting up an Industrial Model Township. According to the CBI’s allegations, landowners were pressured into selling their land at throwaway prices, reportedly between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh per acre, while the prevailing market value was considerably higher.The agency alleged that after private builders had acquired substantial portions of the notified land, the acquisition proceedings were allowed to lapse. Subsequently, on August 24, 2007, an order was issued for releasing the land from acquisition, allegedly benefiting builders, their companies and agents rather than the original landowners.The CBI has maintained that the alleged conspiracy resulted in substantial wrongful gains for private players and corresponding losses to landowners and the state exchequer. It has also alleged that licences and change-of-land-use permissions were subsequently granted to builders who were otherwise not eligible. The agency had originally filed its chargesheet in February 2018 against former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and 34 others, including government officials and private players, on charges relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption.In January 2026, the special CBI court framed charges against several accused individuals and companies, paving the way for the trial. However, proceedings against Hooda and certain former bureaucrats remained affected by stays granted by the Supreme Court. With four fresh chargesheets now before the court and Bansal among those named, the proceedings are set to come up again on Dec 11.The original case concerns alleged collusion between private builders and government officials to acquire land from farmers at throwaway prices by exploiting the threat of government acquisition. The CBI’s case relates to land in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula villages of Gurgaon.
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