Delhi court discharges Gautam Gambhir of all charges in cheating case

A Delhi court Thursday discharged cricketer-turned-politician Gautam Gambhir of all charges in a case of alleged criminal breach of trust and cheating flat buyers.

After discharging BJP MP from East Delhi, ditional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh sent file back to District Judge to transfer matter to court having jurisdiction as magistrate's court was constituted exclusively to deal with matters in which MP/MLAs were an accused.

police h filed a supplementary charge sheet in September last year in case against Gambhir and several ors under various sections, including 406 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating) and 34 (criminal act is done by several persons in furrance of common intention), of IPC.

Over 50 flat buyers have filed complaint alleging that y booked flats in a real estate project in Ghaziab's Indirapuram in 2011 but it did t take off.

Gambhir was a director and brand ambassor of joint project of Rudra Buildwell Realty Pvt Ltd and H R Infracity Pvt Ltd, against which a case was lodged in 2016 for allegedly duping people of crores of rupees on pretext of booking apartments in housing project.

In its charge sheet, police h alleged that " developers executed Builder Buyer Agreement with victims in June-July, 2014 even after expiry of sanctioned building plan on June 6, 2013. Developers have been demanding and collecting money from victims unauthorizedly even after June 23, 2013." "Investors have been deliberately kept in dark about litigations involving proposed site of land. Authorities cancelled sanction/ approval etc. for project on April 15, 2015 due to default of payments of requisite licence fees etc. and n-compliance of or formalities," final report h said.

Besides Gambhir and firm, charge sheet also included names of its or promoters -- Mukesh Khurana, Gautam Mehra and Babita Khurana -- as accused.

complainants have alleged that " project was extensively promoted and vertised and Gambhir, as brand ambassor, helped in attracting and inviting buyers to invest in project".

Im Credits: PTI