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Robert Vadra

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Robert Vadra
Vadra in 2019
Born (1969-04-18) 18 April 1969 (age 57)
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
OccupationBusinessperson
Spouse
​
(m. 1997)​
Children2
RelativesSee Nehru–Gandhi family

Robert Vadra (born 18 April 1969) is an Indian entrepreneur, and the husband of Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi.[1][2]

Early life and family

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Robert Vadra was born in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh,[3] to Rajendra Vadra and Maureen on 18 April 1969. His father's family is of Punjabi descent and settled in Moradabad.[4] His paternal family is originally from Sialkot in present-day Pakistan. Rajendra's father moved to India at the time of partition.[5]

Robert Vadra's mother, Maureen (née McDonagh), is of Anglo-Indian origin, with roots stretching back to Scotland. Rajendra was a resident of Civil Lines, Moradabad, and ran a diamond trading business along with brass and wood handicrafts. Rajendra Vadra has only completed his high school education.[6]

Robert Vadra studied at The British School, New Delhi.[7] His brother Richard died by suicide, and his sister Michelle died in a car accident in 2001.[8][9] His father was found dead on April 3, 2009, in City Inn, a guest house in the Yusuf Sarai area of Delhi.

He is husband of Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi.[1][2] He is the son-in-law of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi and the brother-in-law of Rahul Gandhi.

Politics

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In January 2002, Vadra issued a notice in print newspaper distancing himself from his father and brother as they were misusing his relationship with the Nehru–Gandhi family to make money while promising jobs and other favours.[10] Following this, Sonia Gandhi, the then Congress president also issued a notice to all Congress CMs, state unit heads and senior party members to stay away from Vadra and his family.[11]

Until 2012, while Vadra was mostly in the background, he became a target for several opposition parties after the 2012 anti-corruption movement, India against corruption made allegations against him.[12] These allegations got further politicization after several instances of Congress party spokespersons defending allegations on Vadra, stating he was a soft target.[13]

While Vadra is not into INC active politics he has been actively campaigning for his brother-in-law Rahul Gandhi and mother-in-law Sonia Gandhi. In the Lok Sabha elections of 2019, he campaigned actively across India for several candidates.[14] On his 50th birthday, when asked about his intent to join active politics, Vadra stated it would happen 2–3 years later.[15] He mulled a run in the 2024 Indian general election, but did not file nomination.[16]

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DLF Land Grab Case

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Main article: DLF land grab case

DLF land grab case, also known as Shikohpur Land Deal Case, is a case related to 50 acre land grab in 2013 in Amipur village of Haryana during the Congress' Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana, for which Vadra, Hooda and DLF have been alleged for long, in a long drawn legal battle.

On 01 September 2018, an FIR was registered against Hooda, Vadra, DLF and Onkareshwar Properties, for alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating, fraud and forgery, and under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Haryana Government constituted an SIT in the given matter.As per certain media reports, this case has now been closed, with the Haryana Police reporting before the Punjab and Haryana High Court that as reported by tehsildar, Manesar, Gurugram, M/s Skylight Hospitality sold 3.5 acres to M/s DLF Universal Limited on September 18, 2019, and no regulation/rules have been violated in the said transaction. [17] [18] [19]

On the basis of this FIR, Enforcement Directorate (ED) recorded an FIR on 21 December 2018. It presented its prosecution complaint under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in July 2025, alleging that Robert Vadra received ₹58 crore as "proceeds of crime" in the Shikohpur, Haryana land deal case. It has alleged that Vadra received ₹53 crore through M/s Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited (Vadra's firm) and ₹5 crore through M/s Blue Breeze Trading Private Limited (BBTPL). In May 2026, Vadra has been granted bail by the Rouse Avenue Court in this case, which is presently under Trial.[20] [21] [22]

Bikaner Land Deal Case

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Main article: Bikaner Land Deal Scam

Here it has been alleged that Vadra's company, Sky Light Hospitality, illegally purchased and sold 275 bighas of land in the Kolayat area of Bikaner, Rajasthan in January 2010. At that time, Rajasthan was under Congress rule with Ashok Gehlot as its Chief Minister. The transactions allegedly involved forgery, undervalued purchases, and illegal profits. [23] [24]

It has been alleged that Sky Light Hospitality sold this land measuring 31.61 hectares and 37.94 hectares to M/s. Allegeny Finlease Private Limited for around Rs. 2.8 crores. Later, in August 2014, the Colonization Commissioner of Rajasthan informed the Collector of Bikaner regarding certain forged pattas related with the above deal.

Four FIRs were registered in 2014 at Police Station, Gajner, Tehsil Kolayat, Bikaner, for the offences under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 & 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in this matter, in which Charge sheets were filed by Rajasthan Police in August 2015.

Enforcement Directorate registered Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) on 17 September 2015. ED attached properties and assets worth ₹4.62 crore linked to Vadra's company and associates, claiming that Sky Light Hospitality illegally generated a profit of ₹4.43 crore from this land. [25] [26][27] [28] [29] [30]

Vadra's firm went to Rajasthan High Court seeking to quash the case, but on 22 December 2022, the Rajasthan High Court dismmised the petition allowing the ED investigation to proceed.

Sanjay Bhandari Arms Deal case

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Main article: Sanjay Bhandari Arms Deal case

The case relates with allegation that certain officers of Indian Air Force (IAF) had entered into a criminal conspiracy with one Sanjay Bhandari and Bimal Sareen, both directors of Offset India Solutions Private Limited. It has been alleged that they dishonestly and fraudulently signed a Service Provider Agreement with Bhandari in June 2010 in violation of the Defence Procurement Procedure, 2008 formulated by the Government of India in the Rs 2895 crore deal of 75 Pilatus basic trainer aircraft. Vadra has also been Charge sheeted in this case through supplementary Charge sheet. [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37]

References

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  1. ^ a b Malik, Aman (8 October 2012). "DLF-Robert Vadra controversy: A news round-up". Mint. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Robert Vadra not new to controversy". Rediff. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  3. ^ Ashraf, Zainab. "Robert Rajendra Vadra: Age, Biography, Education, Wife, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia". www.oneindia.com.
  4. ^ "Priyanka cites husband's root at maiden rally in Punjab; Vadra endorses statement". news.abplive.com. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  5. ^ Priyanka's father-in-law hanged himself: Police sources. Times of India.
  6. ^ Anand, Geeta; Roy, Rajesh (18 April 2014). "Behind a Real-Estate Empire, Ties to India's Gandhi Dynasty". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Who is Robert Vadra?". India Today. 10 October 2012.
  8. ^ Sawhney, Anubha (20 September 2003). "Another tragedy in Vadra family". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  9. ^ "10 facts to know about Robert Vadra, the stylish son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi". IndiaTV.
  10. ^ "Love's Favours Lost | Outlook India Magazine". Outlook (India). Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Sonia Closes Door on Vadras". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  12. ^ Fuwad, Ahamad (1 June 2016). "Robert Vadra: A dark spot in Gandhi family or a soft political target? 5 controversies surrounding the 'Damad'". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  13. ^ Thomas, Soumya (3 September 2018). "Gurugram land deal case: Congress defends Robert Vadra, alleges 'malicious witch-hunt' by PM Modi". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Robert Vadra to campaign for Congress 'all over India'; to accompany Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi to Amethi, Rae Bareli". Firstpost. 7 April 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  15. ^ "Robert Vadra celebrates his 50th with family". in.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  16. ^ "'Entire country wants me to get into active politics': Robert Vadra on contesting elections from Amethi". The Hindu. 27 April 2024.
  17. ^ "After Rs 170 crore to BJP, DLF got 'clean chit' in Vadra land deal from Haryana government". newslaundry.com. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  18. ^ "After five years, Haryana says no violation in Robert Vadra-DLF land deal". Economic Times. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  19. ^ "Gurugram land deal: HC says probe is 'crawling', asks Haryana Police to complete it at the 'earliest'". HindustanTimes. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  20. ^ "PMLA Court Order" (PDF). Bar and Bench. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  21. ^ "ED opens 'Gandhi Files':Vadra's ₹50 Cr scam, chargesheet against Rahul, Sonia, Pitroda; is this BJP's attack on Gandhi family?". Bhasjar Englishs. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  22. ^ "Vadra in dock, but court nudges ED for 'thorough investigation' against DLF in Shikohpur land case". The Print. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  23. ^ "The Curious Case of Summon Season: BJP, Robert Vadra, and the Never-Ending Blockbuster". afternoonvoice.com. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  24. ^ "Rajasthan High Court Order in Bikaner Land scam case". indiankanoon.org. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  25. ^ "Explained: Why Rajasthan High Court denied relief to Robert Vadra in Money Laundering Case". scconline.com. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  26. ^ "Bikaner land scam: ED attaches assets of Robert Vadra". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  27. ^ "Explained: WBikaner Land Scam Case". Times of India. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  28. ^ "Bikaner land scam: ED raids Mahesh Nagar's premises in Faridabad". India Today. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  29. ^ "Bikaner land scam: ED attaches Robert Vadra's company's assets worth Rs 4.43 crore". Scroll. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  30. ^ "Bikaner land scam case: ED attaches assets worth Rs 4.62 crore". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  31. ^ "CBI registers corruption case against IAF officials, Sanjay Bhandari over 2009 Pilatus aircraft deal". India Today. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  32. ^ "This Article is From Jun 22, 2019CBI Files Case Against IAF Officials, Swiss Firm Over Alleged Kickbacks". NDTV. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  33. ^ "Cases against Sanjay Bhandari, arms dealer with alleged Vadra links". Indian Express. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  34. ^ "ED files chargesheet against Robert Vadra in Sanjay Bhandari money laundering case". India Today. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  35. ^ "ED files supplementary prosecution complaint against Robert Vadra in Sanjay Bhandari case". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  36. ^ "Robert Vadra Evaded Probe Agency Questions on Sanjay Bhandari Links: Report". NDTV. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  37. ^ "Robert Vadra beneficiary". Times of India. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
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