The word scam refers to a trick, a fraud, a rumor, or to get money or property from another person under pretenses by gaining the confidence of the victim. India has had no shortages of scams, including financial, land, drugs, the infamous Jeep scandal, and more. The HUDCO Scam Series by Alborz Azar takes readers on a journey through a twenty-five-year land scam involving Pavan Sachdeva, owner of MS Shoes company. The Great Land Grab is the fight between agricultural land and urban and corporate giants struggling to seize power over the most precious lands in India.

Pavan Sachdeva started a small shoe manufacturing company in 1975. In 1986, Pavan grew his company into an enormous business named MS Shoes. MS Shoes was the largest exporter of shoes from India to Western European countries. By 1994, Pavan and MS Shoes decided to expand the company further by making arrangements with ITC Hotels. Bids were submitted to HUDCO (Housing Urban Development Corporation), a public sector company fully owned by the government and controlled by the Ministry of Urban Development. MS Shoes won the bid for the construction of a five-star hotel.

Pavan soon learned that hoteliers of ITC Hotels were jealous of MS Shoes obtaining the coveted real estate. In the name of greed, they released negative publicity about Pavan and his company. Pavan handled all the complaints in writing, but honesty was not what the interested parties were looking for.

Pavan fell into a trap meticulously placed by HUDCO. Through his company MS Shoes, Pavan paid Rs. 68.68 Crores (USD 21.8 million) to HUDCO for the construction of a hotel. HUDCO concealed they had no title to the building constructed at Andrews Ganj land. The deal was illegal, and the government was fully aware. Construction began and was completed without any title to the land, nor authorization by authorities, no building plans sanctioned, and no fire approvals. The deal was rushed to meet the deadline for the fast-approaching Afro Asian Games in 1991.

In 1995, instead of HUDCO being punished for illegal wrongdoings, the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) of India raided the MS Shoes company and Pavan’s home. Pavan was arrested and placed in police custody in Mumbai for fifteen days until the court granted a bail. Pavan had officially become the fall guy for the media, the government, and HUDCO.

The terms were again brought up and amended in 1996. In the deal, the lease fees were paid, and a 99-year lease was executed towards HUDCO in 1997. All dealings were completed without approval by the Cabinet or General Finance Rules of the Finance Ministry. The scandal has gone unpunished and unnoticed for years. This raises how many other scandals are also going unnoticed. It is of no doubt that MS Shoes is one of many victims of the land scams currently operating in India.

Litigation on this matter began in 1997; however, MS Shoes has been fighting the battle in the Supreme Court since 2017. The government ordered HUDCO to sell their other properties to pay off debts owed to MS Shoes. Instead, HUDCO claimed to be agents of the government over the land. Therefore, the Indian government is responsible for any debts owed to MS Shoes. HUDCO and the government have dragged on the litigation and continue to for as long as possible. While legal matters drag on, HUDCO earns an interest of sixteen percent monthly on the money paid to them by MS Shoes.

The media was of no help during the land scam, its only mission is to find an appropriate story. They like to use the word “scam.” There have been many situations, whether right or wrong, where a person was condemned in pursuit of a story. The current approach is corrupt and prefers personal favors over a system in which everyone is held to the same standard of the law. As the scam gets exposed to the public, innocent people take the fall. Unfortunately, these “scams” do not become scams until the media exposes them to the public. The public is unaware of the reality behind the situation, because a fall guy is chosen. The fall guy—innocent or not—is repeatedly slandered and takes the fall for any illegal wrongdoings made by the government and other powerful Indian industries.

For these reasons, Alborz has found it necessary to tell Pavan’s story. First, he had to find out if Pavan was still alive. The media has a habit of killing off those involved in scams. Alborz found Pavan was still alive, and his company MS Shoes had changed its name to Tomorrowland Limited. Alborz assumed if Pavan was still alive, he’d be lying low in a dark corner of the world. In his research, much to his surprise, he found many court rulings towards Pavan and MS Shoes, indicating his continuous fight against multiple Indian industries.
While Pavan may appear an entrepreneur from an immigrant family, he is far more than that. Alborz is an English attorney from the UK and is no stranger to high profile court cases. After a thirty-minute Zoom conversation with Pavan, Alborz found him to be a man of integrity who has always been honest in his business endeavors. Alborz wants to tell the real story of Pavan, instead of his infamous rise to fame within India’s media rings.

It could never have been guessed that a poor boy from a poor family would engage in a twenty-five-year battle against India’s most powerful industries. Pavan’s family fled from Pakistan in the 1950s, while the country was divided during its fight for independence. His family struggled to settle into Delhi, but money tensions eased not long after Pavan was born. Pavan had attended public school in Delhi and managed to pass in First Division. Pavan’s father was always honest in his business dealings, and Pavan would follow in his footsteps.

The battle for Pavan has been an uphill climb. It is up to the Supreme Court to overturn the scam and order HUDCO to pay back the monies owed to MS Shoes with interest. MS Shoes remains the victim, while HUDCO and the government continue to dispute ownership of multiple prime real estate lands. HUDCO is convenient to drag on the issue as long as possible, because the investment money continuously accrues the interest monthly received from MS Shoes.

About Alborz Azaz

Pavan’s journey has taught him how to expose bureaucracy and a political and governmental system that relies on corruption. Pavan believes the legal system is just as corrupt, and requires vast changes to ensure justice is served, and also happens in a timely manner. Pavan wishes to have a legal system that demonstrates one set of laws for all parties and people to follow. Personal favors should overhaul laws or only apply to fall guys, instead of the industries involved in illegal activities. However, Pavan’s main goal is to be refunded the money owed to him and his MS Shoes company. He did not expect this fight to go on for twenty-five years. But it should be no surprise that the legal battle will drag on, because monies continued to be gained in interest to HUDCO at the expense of Pavan and MS Shoes. Here lies the real scam, ruse, trick to obtain money from a person’s property.

Alborz learned how perseverance demonstrates the righteousness of a man. Pavan’s heroic struggle is one for the history books, but it has taken a toll on his life and the people he seeks to inspire. Pavan has yet to receive money owed to him, and the fight continues.

In the Hudco Land Scam Series, by Alborz Azar reveals the widespread corruption behind the precious Andrews Ganj land in the heart of New Delhi. A media condemned man whose innocence remained unknown struggles with the unfounded accusations which caused public opinion to falter, leading to a guilty sentence before any trial could be scheduled.

The victim behind the scam in this situation was MS Shoes; founder Pavan Sachdeva. Behind the lies and deception, a brilliant entrepreneur took the fall for the underhanded dealings of the Hudco Land Scam.
The same man accused of underhanded dealings fulfilled his debts due to these deceptive lies, with no compensation for the legally awarded settlement. Alborz proves how Pavan’s commitment not only caused financial stress on his family, but mental anxiety dealing with this issue for over two decades.
Yet, rulings go unanswered, Hudco ignores legal court findings to repay the ill-gotten monies from MS Shoes. Hudco has only given more excuses for not meeting the court decisions.

As the culprits hide in the shadows, Pavan struggled through court case after court case, proving his innocence. Official Supreme Court rulings were seen as frivolous orders to corrupt officers and business executives. Alborz brings light on the scam to reveal the truth that has deprived innocent victims of due justice for decades.

HUDCO SCAM SERIES
● Book One: Delhi Andrews Ganj Land Scam
● Book Two: Government HUDCO Andrews Ganj Scam
● Book Three: HUDCO Place Andrews Ganj Land Scam
● Book Four: Andrews Ganj Land Scam Continues
● Book Five: Bureaucrats Disputed Bjp Government Ratification of Andrews Ganj Land Scam
● Book Six: HUDCO Scammed Leela Hotels as Well - Refunded Entire Amount with Contractual Compounded Interest
● Book Seven: HUDCO Place Scam Led Andrews Ganj Project Account to Negative
● Book Eight: Courts Concluded HUDCO Scam Defrauded Discriminated Cheated MS Shoes
● Book Nine: Government Had No Time to Consider Bureaucrats Ratification of Andrews Ganj Land Scam
● Book Ten: Most Awaited Ratification by The Supreme Court of India Of Andrews Ganj Land Scam by HUDCO

FALL OF MS SHOES SEIES – Pavan Sachdeva Struggling

• BOOK ONE: PAVAN SACHDEVA SCAM 1995: K MADHAVAN CBI FORMER JOINT DIRECTOR GAPL SOLICITOR ROLE
• BOOK TWO: PAVAN SACHDEVA SCAM 1995: UNDERWRITING PUBLIC ISSUE A FARCE
• BOOK THREE: PAVAN SACHDEVA SCAM 1995: A FALSE CASE BY CBI
• BOOK FOUR: PAVAN SACHDEVA SCAM 1995: MS SHOES HUDCO GOVERNMENT ANDREWS GANJ LAND
• BOOK FOUR: PAVAN SACHDEVA SCAM 1995: 1995 PUBLIC ISSUE AWARDS
• BOOK FOUR: PAVAN SACHDEVA SCAM 1995: PAVAN SACHDEVA STRUGGLING