Revenue Secy, ACB say no formal communiqué from Raj Bhawan
*Only already registered cases being investigated
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 21: No fresh FIR has been registered in connection with the large-scale irregularities committed in the implementation of Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act despite explicit directions from the then Governor of the erstwhile State Satya Pal Malik.
Interestingly, the Revenue Department, which is supposed to furnish relevant details to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the latter which is to carry out detailed investigation in order to implement the directions of the former Governor, state that no formal communiqué has been received from the Raj Bhawan in this regard till date.
The large-scale irregularities or frauds in the implementation of the Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act, 2001 popularly known as Roshni Scheme were unearthed by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, which accordingly approached the Government for in-depth probe through some premier investigating agency.
Later, some FIRs were lodged by the State Vigilance Organization (presently Anti-Corruption Bureau) for detailed investigation into the test checked cases brought to the fore by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
However, in most of these FIRs the challans have not been presented in the Anti-Corruption Courts as a result of which not only the officers, who had conferred undue benefits of the scheme upon influential persons but also the illegal beneficiaries have remained unpunished despite lapse of several years, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
On November 28, 2018, the State Administrative Council (SAC) headed by the then Governor Satya Pal Malik repealed controversial Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act, 2001 and stopped all further proceedings under the Act to ensure that no further fraud takes place.
While repealing the scheme, the SAC provided sufficient safeguards for the actions taken earlier by the concerned authorities under the provisions of the Act. “All pending proceedings under the Act shall stand cancelled immediately and abate. However, any action taken under the provisions of the repealed Act earlier shall not be invalid”, the SAC had made it clear.
On September 13, 2019, the then Governor ordered that all matters relating to the irregularities or fraudulent implementation of the Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act, 2001 shall be investigated in detail by the Anti Corruption Bureau.
“As reports continue to pour-in about the past irregularities particularly in the twin capitals of Jammu and Srinagar, the Governor has decided to launch a full-fledged campaign against the corrupt and refer investigation of all matters of Jammu and Srinagar districts to the Anti Corruption Bureau, which has been instructed to conclude the proceedings speedily and ensure that any offender particularly beneficiaries are brought to book quickly”, the Raj Bhawan had mentioned in the official handout of September 13, 2019.
However, till date no fresh FIR has been lodged by the Anti-Corruption Bureau as a result of which the explicit directions of the then Governor have remained unimplemented, sources informed. The shocking aspect is that all the concerned authorities are not ready to accept that any such direction was received by them from the Raj Bhawan.
“I have not received any formal communiqué about the subject you are talking about”, said Abdul Majeed Bhat, Commissioner/Secretary to Government, Revenue Department when contacted to ascertain whether necessary details have been forwarded to the Anti-Corruption Bureau, adding “it is better to contact Raj Bhawan people”.
Director, Anti-Corruption Bureau Anand Jain, when contacted, asked, “where is the order vis-à-vis the then Governor asking for detailed investigation into all the irregularities”, adding “we are only investigating the FIRs which were registered earlier”.
It is pertinent to mention here that the then Governor Satya Pal Malik had observed, “the intention behind the Jammu and Kashmir State Land (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act, 2001 was noble but a large number of complaints were being received on the irregularities or fraudulent implementation of the Act. Consequently, there are reports that high value land in the districts of Jammu and Srinagar has been obtained irregularly or fraudulently by individuals, otherwise not entitled for any benefit under the Act”.
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