Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Jan 29: In a glaring misuse of authority, a senior IAS officer has been found in the illegal possession of State land in the prime locality of Jammu and in order to take the officer to task the Government has charge-sheeted him, which is pre-requisite for action under the rules.
Sources told EXCELSIOR that IAS officer of 1995 batch of Jammu and Kashmir cadre Sheikh Ejaz Iqbal, presently Commissioner Secretary Forest Department ‘grabbed’ two kanals and five marlas of State land at Sunjwan in the outskirts of Jammu city in early 1990s when he was posted as Tehsildar Jammu.
Till 2004 the officer never reflected this land in the annual property returns, which is mandatory for the IAS as well as KAS officers. When the then Government floated Roshni Scheme in order to regularize the State land under the illegal possession of the people, the officer started reflecting two kanals and five marlas of State land in his annual property returns with the remarks that application has been moved for regularization of land under the Roshni Scheme.
It is pertinent to mention here that Sheikh Ejaz Iqbal joined Government service as KAS officer. He was inducted in the IAS in 2005 and was allotted batch of 1995.
Late last year, the Chief Secretary pointed out State land in the possession of the IAS officer while scrutinizing his annual property return and brought the matter to the notice of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, who ordered departmental inquiry against the officer under All India Service Discipline and Appeal Rules, sources said.
As part of departmental enquiry, charge-sheet was served to the officer asking him to clarify how he can be in the possession of State and doesn’t this amount to the misuse of authority , sources said, adding during December 2012-January 2013 the officer submitted his reply to the Government whereby he tried to justify the illegal possession of the State land by mentioning that Roshni Scheme doesn’t debar any Government servant from applying for regularization of State land.
“However, his reply has been found un-satisfactory and vague by the Government as the officer could not justify as to how he can be in the possession of State land”, sources said in reply to a question, adding “now the file is being placed before the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah very shortly for his approval for necessary action against the officer under All India Service Discipline and Appeal Rules”.
It is worthwhile to mention here that during the past quite some time the Government has been laying stress on departmental enquiries against the erring officers instead of directly referring the cases to the investigating agencies. In this way the burden on the investigating agencies particularly the Vigilance Organization is reduced and discipline is ensured at the administrative level.
The incident of State land under the illegal possession of IAS officer has come to the fore at a time when State High Court is hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) highlighting the encroachment of State land by politicians, bureaucrats and sitting Ministers in connivance with the land mafia.
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