File Photo of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
How much land Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has bought in Himachal Pradesh and at what price cannot be revealed publicly for now, the state's High Court has ruled today.
Late last month, the top officers of the Information Commission had ruled that the details of Mrs Vadra's land transactions must be revealed within 10 days. Mrs Vadra challenged that decision in court which will hear the case again next month.
Mrs Vadra is the daughter of Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Congress, which is in power in Himachal Pradesh.
Information on Mrs Vadra's 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 at the time said the details should be shared; the officer handling the RTI application was faulted by his bosses last month for not complying.
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 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.