File photo of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with her husband Robert Vadra (Press Trust of India)
The details of how Priyanka Gandhi Vadra bought land near Shimla must be revealed within 10 days, the top most officers of the Information Commission of Himachal Pradesh have ruled today.
Mrs Vadra is the daughter of Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress, which is in power in Himachal Pradesh.
Information on her real estate purchases in Himachal Pradesh - she reportedly has bought two pieces of land - was sought last year by Debashish Bhattacharya, a Right to Information (RTI) activist. Information Commission officials had said the details should be shared, but the officer handling the RTI application did not comply. He has been asked today to explain why he should not be penalised for ignoring the commission's instructions.
Earlier this year, Mrs Vadra, 43, wrote to the state government through her lawyers, claiming that the details should be kept confidential for security reasons.
"Himachal Pradesh is a small state and if VVIPs keep buying land and misuse it, then there will be no land left," said Mr Bhattacharya to NDTV, explaining his motive for the RTI that he filed.
Mrs Vadra, whose father and grandmother Rajiv and Indira were Prime Minister and assassinated, is guarded by the Special Protection Group or SPG.
The State Information Commission today said under the RTI, details like whether she bought two pieces of land -one in 2007 and another in 2012 - will be confirmed, along with how much she paid.
The BJP has said that Mrs Vadra's husband, Robert, will be investigated for illicit land deals in Haryana where his mother-in-law's party was in power till late last year, when it lost the election.