Punjab and Haryana HC Discharges Hooda and AJL in Panchkula Plot Re-allotment Case

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has discharged former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Associated Journals Limited (AJL) in the Panchkula plot re-allotment case, setting aside charges framed by a special CBI court in April 2021. The court found no prima facie evidence of criminal wrongdoing, noting the re-allotment was ratified by authorities and not declared illegal. It criticized the CBI's prosecution as legally unsustainable and an abuse of court process, effectively ending this politically sensitive case.