AntiCorruption Bureau (ACB) has booked Revenue officials and others for illegal mutation of land. On the basis of a complaint that Manohar Lal, then Patwari Bishnah has committed forgery and prepared fictitious Form Number 5 for resumption of land from his (complainant’s) father, under Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976 in favour of ex-landlord, Chaman Lal son of Munshi Ram of Bishnah, verification was conducted by ACB. The complainant further alleged that the forged form was presented in the Tehsil Office after eight years and entry was made in the register due to which litigation cropped between him and ex-landlord. The ACB verification conducted revealed that land bearing Khasra Number 7 (2 Kanal and 4 Marla), 14 (2 Kanal and 5 Marla), 116 (1 Kanal and 13 Marla) and 199 (5 Kanal and 3 Marla) total measuring 11 Kanal and 5 Marla was vested upon Dhanna son of Khazana under Section 8 of J&K Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976 vide mutation number 804 dated 27-02-1991. Later, the ex-landlord Chaman Lal applied for resumption of land under Section 7 of the Agrarian Reforms Act and filed an appeal before the then ADC Jammu who vide order dated 12-06-1999 cancelled the mutation number 804 and the case was remanded to Tehsildar Bishnah for enquiry. The verification further revealed that in reference to Form Number 5 under the provisions of Section 7 of the Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976, mutation number 1168 dated 18-10-2000 was attested by the Collector (ACR Jammu) in favour of ex-owner to the extent of land measuring 5 Kanals and 12 ½ Marlas. Thereafter, the order of ACR Jammu was challenged by Dhanna before the Director Land Records with powers of Commissioner Agrarian Reforms, who vide his order dated 12-05-2001 in reference of a compromise deed, which was executed between Dhanna and Chaman Lal, whereby land measuring 4 Kanals and 5 Marlas was agreed and resumed by ex-landlord and land measuring 7 Kanals was accepted by Dhanna. During verification, it came to fore that the ex-landlord, his son Rajinder Sharma and Rekha Sharma wife of Rajinder Sharma in league with revenue officials posted on different occasions namely Manohar Lal, then Patwari (now expired), Bashir Ahmed then Naib Tehsildar Bishnah (now expired) and Dev Raj, then Patwari, now Girdawar presently posted at DC Office Samba and Tarsem Lal, then Naib Tehsildar Bishnah managed to alienate the land resumed under Section 7 of the Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976 illegally as the revenue officers/officials, by abuse of their official positions, issued the Fard-e-Intikhabs of the land illegally and dishonestly by concealing the facts as well as tempering the record. Consequently, a case FIR Number 22/2020 was registered in police station ACB Jammu against Dev Raj, Tarsem Lal and beneficiaries namely Chaman Lal, his son Rajinder Sharma and daughter-in-law Rekha Sharma and further investigation of the case is going on.
