Congress MLA from Rohtak, BB Batra, who is also the party's chief whip, has accused Independent Rajya Sabha candidate Satish Nandal and the BJP-led Haryana Government of colluding to grab land belonging to Haryana Telecom Limited in Rohtak at a throwaway price.
Raising the issue during the Budget discussion in the Haryana Assembly, Batra alleged that the arrangement resulted in a major loss to the state exchequer
What loan did Haryana Telecom Limited take from the government?
According to Batra, HTL had taken a loan of Rs 18.68 crore from the Haryana Government in the early 1990s. The company repaid only Rs 38.60 lakh, leaving a principal of Rs 18.30 crore outstanding. With interest of Rs 93.16 crore and additional penal interest at 18 per cent per annum, the recoverable amount had ballooned significantly by December 31, 2024.
How did the insolvency proceedings begin?
In 2019, financial creditor Parivartan Investment and Finance initiated insolvency proceedings against HTL before the Chandigarh Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
On April 12, 2023, the NCLT approved a resolution plan allowing Abhimanyu Singh Mehlawat to take over HTL for Rs 25.14 crore, payable within 90 working days. However, Mehlawat failed to deposit the amount within the stipulated time, leading to the forfeiture of his Rs 4 crore performance bank guarantee. Subsequently, Kishori Ji Properties and Jewellers Private Limited stepped in and completed the payment by issuing a demand draft of Rs 21.14 crore, excluding the forfeited Rs 4 crore.
Why has Batra termed the transaction suspicious?
Batra alleged that Kishori Ji Properties and Jewellers Private Limited was a shell company with a paid-up capital of just Rs 1.5 lakh and was not authorised to accept public deposits. Despite this, the company issued a demand draft of Rs 21.14 crore after allegedly collecting deposits from several individuals. According to Batra, the nature of the transaction raised suspicions of benami dealings and possible money laundering.
What concerns did the state government itself raise before the NCLT?
In May 2025, the state government, through the Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department, approached the NCLT stating that the resolution value of Rs 25.14 crore was far below the value of the company’s land in Rohtak.
The land measuring 136 kanal 8 marla (83,222 sq yards) falls in the residential zone of Sector 27-A in the Urban Estate, Rohtak, under the Final Development Plan 2031. As per the affidavit filed by Additional Director Rajesh Aggarwal, the collector rate of Rs 9,000 per sq yard placed the land’s value at around Rs 74.99 crore, while the market value could exceed Rs 200 crore. The government argued that the resolution plan would cause a substantial loss to creditors and the public exchequer, but the NCLT dismissed the plea.
How much did the Haryana Government finally recover?
Under the resolution plan, the Haryana Government received Rs 18.56 crore out of the Rs 25.14 crore resolution amount. However, the government’s outstanding dues from the company stood at Rs 93.16 crore as of December 31, 2024.
n What decision did the Haryana Government later take?
On November 7, 2025, the Industries and Commerce Department issued an order stating that the Haryana Governor had waived penal interest of Rs 77.07 crore in the case of Haryana Telecom Limited, citing NCLT orders. Three days later, on November 10, 2025, the department issued a “no dues certificate" after receiving Rs 18.56 crore.
How is Satish Nandal linked to the issue?
Documents presented by Batra showed that Rs 2 crore from Shivalaya Constructions was deposited towards Kishori Ji Properties and Jewellers Private Limited. In his election affidavit, Satish Nandal declared that he served as a project in-charge of Shivalaya Constructions and received remuneration from the company. Batra alleged that Shivalaya Constructions was a beneficiary of the alleged scam.
What is Satish Nandal’s response?
Nandal denied any wrongdoing and said: “I have nothing to do with this. I had given some amount to Kishori Ji Properties and Jewellers Private Limited and they had returned it within a few months."
What action has Batra demanded?
He alleged that the government failed to pursue its claims effectively before the NCLT, did not file an appeal against the tribunal’s order, and waived off Rs 77.06 crore to benefit BJP functionaries.He has demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged scam and urged the government to challenge the NCLT order before the Principal Bench of
the tribunal.