Land scam of hundreds of kanals unearthed by ACB
Probity in governance too demands shifting
JAMMU, Jan 22:
Several officials of the Revenue Department including Patwaris and Girdawars, who have been booked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for their involvement in land scam of hundreds of kanals, are holding the same posts in blatant violation of the rulings of High Court of Jammu and Kashmir. Further, probity in governance demands their shifting to insignificant posts to ensure transparent probe and prevent the chances of further manipulations.
In the infamous Gulmarg land scam, a Division Bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court comprising the then Chief Justice M M Kumar and then Judge of the High Court Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir vide order dated March 4, 2013 had held that an officer who has been facing serious charges of corruption cannot be permitted to remain posted on a significant post or the post on which he or she had committed the act of corruption.
Similar ruling was given by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir in several other corruption related cases. Moreover, the probity in governance demands that whosoever is booked for indulging into corrupt practices should be shifted from that particular post so as to prevent the chances of manipulations and to pave the way for more transparent investigation.
However, in blatant violation of High Court rulings and utter disregard to essential requirement of probity in governance several officials of the Revenue Department, who have been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act for their involvement in land scam of hundreds of kanals by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, are still holding the same positions, which they brazenly misused to confer undue benefits upon themselves and to other illegal beneficiaries.
These officials were booked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on the inputs that Custodian Department land in hundreds of kanals situated at Asarwan, Mishriwala and Bhalwal areas of Jammu district had been fraudulently grabbed by the land grabbers/gangsters in connivance with the Revenue and Police officials. It was also found by the Anti-Corruption Bureau that revenue records were tampered and land was sold to various persons illegally.
The verification conducted by Anti-Corruption Bureau revealed that in furtherance of criminal conspiracy, Form 3-A along with power of attorneys were obtained from various PoK refugees alluring them of additional lands and providing them instant money ranging from Rs 5000 to Rs 50,000 by the conduits of land grabbers and thereafter insertions/additions regarding additional chunks of Custodian land were made in the revenue records by sheer abuse of official positions.
Thereafter, these lands were sold by the conduits and attorney holders to various persons including their own gang leaders and members by resorting to fraudulent means thereby causing huge loss to the Government exchequer.
The officials, who have been booked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and still holding the same positions, which they abused, are Shakeel Ahmad (Patwari), Suresh Kumar (Patwari), Mohd Aslam (Girdawar), Pranav Dev Singh (Patwari), Akeel Ahmed (Naib Tehsildar), Susheel Virdi (Patwari), Amit Upadhaya (Tehsildar), Altaf Hussain (Patwari), Javed Ahmad (Patwari), Amjad Malik (Girdawar), Navjot Singh (Patwari), Hans Raj (Girdawar) and others. One Patwari (Suresh Kumar) even got promotion as Girdawar but the same was kept on hold when the Divisional Commissioner Jammu came to know about registration of FIR against him.
Some officers of the Law Department, when approached by EXCELSIOR, to ascertain whether officials facing FIRs under Prevention of Corruption Act can be allowed to hold the same positions which they exploited to confer and obtain undue benefits at the cost of Government exchequer, said, “the ruling of the High Court in the Gulmarg land scam should be an eye opener and taken seriously by the concerned department especially in such a huge land scam”.
“Even otherwise, probity in governance demands shifting of such officials to other posts so as to prevent the chances of their manipulating the records and influencing the witnesses, which can cause damage to the Anti-Corruption Bureau case at the later stage”, they said and asked “if a Deputy Commissioner rank officer can be transferred in a land scam why cannot these lower rank officials”.
(Courtesy Daily Excelsior Jammu)