After the ED Called His Arguments “Completely False,” Vadra Chose to Walk Away From the High Court and Fight in the Trial Court Instead
On Monday, 18 May 2026, businessman Robert Vadra took a step that few expected. He walked into the Delhi High Court — and walked right back out, withdrawing his petition unconditionally.
That petition had challenged the trial court summons issued to him in a money laundering case tied to a controversial land deal in Haryana’s Shikohpur. Now, with the High Court chapter closed, the real fight moves to the trial court.
Here is the full story of what happened, why it matters, and where this case goes from here.
What Did Vadra Actually Withdraw?
To understand the withdrawal, you first need to know what Vadra was fighting in the High Court.
On 15 April 2026, a special trial court in Delhi took cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate’s chargesheet against Vadra and eight other accused persons. The court found sufficient material in the ED’s prosecution complaint to proceed with the case. It then issued summons, asking all the accused to appear before it on 16 May 2026.
Vadra did not want to face those summons without a fight. So he moved the Delhi High Court, asking it to quash or stay the trial court’s order.
That petition — filed against the very act of the trial court accepting the chargesheet — is what he withdrew on 18 May 2026.
What Was His Legal Argument?
Vadra’s lawyer, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, put forward a specific legal point. He argued that the ED had no jurisdiction to file a money laundering case against Vadra in the first place.
His reasoning was this: the land deal took place between 2008 and 2012. The ED’s case rests on offences listed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). However, Singhvi argued that some of those offences — under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act — were added to the PMLA’s schedule only in 2013 and 2018. That is, after the deal had already happened.
So, his argument was straightforward: you cannot charge someone under a law that did not apply at the time of the alleged act.
It was a sharp legal point. But the ED was ready for it.
Why Did the ED Push Back So Hard?
The ED’s counsel, Zoheb Hossain, did not just disagree with Singhvi’s argument. He called it “completely false statements on the law.”
Specifically, Hossain pointed out that certain provisions — including Section 467 of the IPC, which deals with forgery of valuable security — were part of the PMLA schedule right from its very inception. They were never added later. They were always there.
He argued that Vadra’s legal team was either misinformed or deliberately misrepresenting the law. He went so far as to ask that the petition be dismissed with costs — a signal that the ED felt the petition had no merit whatsoever.
The Delhi High Court, after hearing both sides, declined to give Vadra any immediate relief. Justice Manoj Jain asked Singhvi to come prepared on the ED’s point at the next hearing, which was fixed for 18 May 2026.
That hearing never happened — because Vadra pulled out before it could.
What Happened in Court on 18 May 2026?
When the matter came up before Justice Manoj Jain on Monday, Vadra’s counsel opened by saying the petitioner had no interest in pursuing the petition any further. He sought permission to withdraw it unconditionally.
The High Court allowed it. Justice Jain disposed of the petition, keeping all rights and contentions of both parties open.
Crucially, the withdrawal was unconditional. Vadra did not get any relief. He did not get any stay on the trial court proceedings. He simply stepped back.
His counsel, however, made clear that Vadra would raise all his arguments before the trial court at the appropriate stage.
What Did Vadra Say Outside the Courtroom?
Vadra has consistently said the same thing throughout this case. He denies all wrongdoing. He calls the entire case a political vendetta — a deliberate attempt to target him and his family, including Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Outside the courtroom on 16 May — the day he appeared before the trial court — he said he had full faith in the judicial system and had nothing to hide.
What Are the Core Allegations Against Him?
The ED’s money laundering case goes back to a 2008 land deal in Shikohpur, Gurugram (now Sector 83). Here is the short version of what the agency alleges.
Skylight Hospitality Pvt Ltd — a company in which Vadra was earlier a director — purchased 3.53 acres of land for ₹7.5 crore from Omkareshwar Properties in February 2008. The land’s ownership mutation was recorded the very next day — a process that normally takes months.
The ED further alleges that no actual payment was made at the time. It claims the sale deed contained false declarations, including a reference to a cheque that was never actually issued or encashed. The ED also alleges the land was deliberately undervalued to reduce stamp duty.
Then, in September 2012, the land was sold to real estate giant DLF for ₹58 crore — nearly eight times the purchase price. The ED identifies those ₹58 crore as proceeds of crime.
The agency has also alleged that the land was used as a quid pro quo — that Vadra’s political connections helped Skylight obtain a commercial housing licence from the Haryana government, and that the licence itself was the source of the dramatic value jump. This was all during the Congress government of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
To back its case, the ED has already provisionally attached 43 immovable properties worth ₹38.69 crore linked to Vadra and associated entities.
A First in India’s Legal History
It is worth pausing on one fact. When the ED filed its chargesheet in July 2025, it was the first time in history that any investigative agency in India filed a criminal chargesheet against Robert Vadra. Despite years of controversy and investigations, no agency had crossed that line before.
The trial court taking cognisance of that chargesheet in April 2026 was, therefore, an equally significant moment. The case has now moved beyond investigation. It is in trial.
What Did the Trial Court Do on 16 May 2026?
On 16 May — the day Vadra appeared pursuant to the summons — Special Judge Sushant Changotra of Rouse Avenue District Court granted him bail. The conditions were minimal. Vadra had to furnish a personal bond of ₹50,000 and one surety of the same amount.
The court noted that the ED had filed its chargesheet without arresting Vadra at any point during the investigation. The next major hearing is now listed for 10 July 2026, when arguments on framing of charges are expected to begin.
What Does the Withdrawal Really Signal?
The unconditional nature of the withdrawal is significant. Vadra did not negotiate a partial relief. He did not get the High Court to record any favourable observation. He simply left.
Legal observers see two possible readings of this move.
One view is practical: when the ED cornered Singhvi on the PMLA schedule point, the legal ground under Vadra’s petition became shaky. Fighting a losing battle in the High Court could create unfavourable precedents. Better to withdraw, keep all arguments open, and raise them fresh before the trial court where the case is now headed.
The other view is strategic: with bail already secured at the trial court level, the High Court petition had served its immediate purpose — or had become unnecessary. Vadra can still argue the jurisdiction point before Special Judge Changotra.
Either way, one thing is clear. The case has now formally entered the trial phase. Vadra cannot avoid the proceedings any longer.
What Comes Next?
The next hearing is on 10 July 2026 at Rouse Avenue Court. That is when the trial court will hear arguments on whether formal charges should be framed against Vadra and the eight other accused.
If charges are framed, the trial begins in earnest. Witnesses will be examined. Documents will be produced. Evidence will be tested.
The ED has also told the court that its investigation is still ongoing — meaning new material could surface even as the trial proceeds.
For Robert Vadra, the legal road ahead is a long one. The courtrooms he tried to stay out of are now firmly part of his daily reality.
Quick Recap: Key Dates in This Development
February 2008 — Skylight Hospitality buys land in Shikohpur for ₹7.5 crore.
September 2012 — Land sold to DLF for ₹58 crore.
October 2012 — IAS officer Ashok Khemka cancels the mutation.
July 2025 — ED files first-ever criminal chargesheet against Vadra.
15 April 2026 — Trial court takes cognisance; issues summons for 16 May.
14 May 2026 — ED calls Vadra’s HC petition “completely false” before Justice Manoj Jain.
16 May 2026 — Vadra appears in the trial court; gets bail on ₹50,000 bond.
18 May 2026 — Vadra unconditionally withdraws HC petition. 10 July 2026 — Next hearing; arguments on charge expected.
This article is based on court records, legal proceedings, and verified news reports as of 18 May 2026.
