Ambience Mall irregularities: CBI files case against builder, raids various locations in Delhi, Gurgaon

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday conducted searches at several locations in Delhi, Chandigarh, Gurugram and Panchkula after filing a case of illegal conversion of residential land to raise the swanky Ambience Mall in Gurgaon, news agency ANI reported.

The CBI has registered an FIR on the orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court which had termed the Ambience Mall in Gurgaon illegal. The High Court had directed the central probe agency to complete the investigation within six months.

The High Court had sought a separate investigation by the CBI to probe alleged illegal actions, if any, and possible collusion between the builder and state authorities.

The Ambience group runs Ambience Malls in NCR and luxury hotel The Leela Ambience Convention Centre among other such real estate properties.

The petitioners had alleged before the High Court that 18.98 acres of land on Delhi-Jaipur National Highway in Gurugram earmarked for Ambience Lagoon Island Residential Complex was reduced to just 7.9 acres with a commercial complex erected on the remaining land.

They had alleged that such violation the builder-buyer agreement and provisions of the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Area Act, 1975 was not possible without the collusion of officials and builders.

Earlier in 2015, a writ petition was filed alleging that while raising the commercial complex there has been a blatant violation of the statutory provisions and rules.