Private Individuals Also Booked; Investigation Reveals Alleged Manipulation of Revenue Records and Delivery of State Land Instead of Purchased Property
Jammu, November 06 :
The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a corruption case against a then Naib Tehsildar, a Patwari and certain private individuals for their alleged involvement in facilitating the wrongful occupation of State land at Gurha Brahmana village in Jammu.
According to an official handout issued here , the FIR was registered following the outcome of Verification No. 02/2024, initiated on the basis of a complaint filed by Sohan Singh. The preliminary verification allegedly revealed misuse of official authority, manipulation of revenue documentation and failure to follow prescribed procedures, resulting in wrongful benefits to private individuals and corresponding losses to the complainant and the State.
The complainant had alleged that he had purchased one kanal of land falling under Khasra No. 65-min through a registered sale deed dated January 17, 2005, followed by attestation of Mutation No. 2229 on February 18, 2005.
However, during the course of verification, it emerged that the land actually delivered to and occupied by the complainant falls under Khasra No. 96, which is recorded as State land in the revenue records.
The ACB verification further revealed that the then Patwari, identified as Babu Ram, and the then Naib Tehsildar, Ram Lal Sharma, allegedly acted in connivance with private individuals Chaman Lal and Ram Chand to facilitate the preparation and issuance of revenue documents on the basis of an unauthenticated Dasti Khaka.
The officials allegedly failed to properly verify the authentic revenue records and the actual status of the land at the spot before processing the relevant documents.
It was also found during verification that the private individuals, through their respective attorney holders, Ram Pal and Kasturi Lal, allegedly executed the sale deed and handed over possession of land falling under Khasra No. 96 instead of the land covered under Khasra No. 65-min, which was purportedly sold to the complainant.
Further, a report submitted by the Tehsildar, Jammu North, dated July 10, 2026, reportedly confirmed that the complainant was not in possession of the land falling under Khasra No. 65-min and was instead occupying land recorded under Khasra No. 96 as State land.
Taking cognisance of the findings, the ACB has registered a case under Section 5(1)(d) read with Section 5(2) of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, Svt. 2006, along with Sections 120-B, 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC).
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has taken up further investigation to ascertain the complete circumstances surrounding the alleged land fraud, the role of the accused persons and the manner in which State land was allegedly transferred into private occupation.
Further investigation in the matter is underway.