Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 21: Anticorruption Bureau Jammu has registered a case against the then Naib Tehsildar and Girdawar Niabat Sohal Akhnoor for change of land use of patch measuring 58 Kanal and 16 Marlas.
According to the ACB, a verification was conducted to look into the allegations regarding change in kind of land from Gair Mumkin Khad to Waryal Awal in Khasra No 99 ( 58 Kanal 16 marla) situated at Badgal Khurd Tehsil Akhnoor and in Khasra No. 344 situated at Dhok Jagir Tehsil Akhnoor by the then Revenue officers.
During the verification it came to the fore that the then Naib Tehsildar Bharat Bhushan posted at Niabat Sohal in connivance with other revenue officials changed the kind of land from Gair-Mumkin-Khad to Waryal Doam in Khasra No. 99 (58 kanal 16 Marla) situated at Badgal Khurd Tehsil Akhnoor and in Khasra No. 344 situated at Dhok Jagir Tehsil Akhnoor illegally which he was not competent to do so and due to their illegal acts, the beneficiaries sold the land to other persons.
According to the FIR, the Government had issued the Circular 502/Circular/23/1347-80 dated 22.07.2006 with the directions that no change in the kind of soil can be done by any officer below the rank of Collector.
Subsequently, the Government had made the policy regarding change of land use vide Order No. 138-Reg (s) of 2016 dated 07.10.2016 for both urban and rural areas. As per the policy, the district level committee under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner shall process the case and forward to Divisional Commissioner who in turn shall forward the same to the Administrative Department along with his recommendations. Moreover, the High Court vide order dated 10.07.2014 passed the directions that construction in the areas of water body or abutting the water body shall remain stayed and further directed that the sale of land concerning the bed of river and the land recorded in the revenue record as Khad also remained stayed.
Despite having the knowledge of the order passed by the Government as well as High Court, the then Naib Tehsidlar Bharat Bhushan and Girdawar Balwant Raj the then posted at Niabat Sohal Tehsil Akhnoor by sheer abuse of their official position transferred the land to the following persons by changing of possession and kind of soil.
“The verification conducted so far prima facie established that the officers/officials have illegally and with the dishonest intention fabricated and manipulated the revenue record by abusing their official position for pecuniary gains as well as confer undue benefits upon the beneficiaries and corresponding loss to the state exchequer”, the ACB said, adding “the acts of omission and commission on the part of public servants as well as private persons constitute the commission of offences under Sections 5 (1) (d) read with 5 (2) of J&K PC Act and Section 120-B RPC against Bharat Bhushan, the then posted as Naib Tehsildar Niabat Sohal Tehsil Akhnoor, Balwant Raj, the then posted as Girdawar Naibat Sohal Tehsil Akhnoor, Roshan Lal, son of Sewa Ram of Dhok Jagir, Vikram Kumar, son of Phattu Ram of Dhok Jag Sudgal Khurd, Ahsok Kumar, son of Ambu Barwala of Dhok Jagir, Amrik Singh, son of Ghulab Singh of Dhok Jagir, Bittu, son of Joginder Lal of Dhok Jagir, Madan Lal, Som Raj, Raghu Kumar, son of Prem Chand, Ashwani Kumar, son of Ramesh Kumar and others.
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