State land allotment: ACB registers case against then Revenue officials, others

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday said to have registered a formal case against the then Revenue officials and others for allotment of state land.

“ACB Jammu registered a formal case FIR No. 08/2025 u/s 5(1)(d) r/w Sec. 5(2), J&K PC Act, Svt. 2006 & Sec. 120-B RPC at P/S ACB Jammu against Ravinder Sharma, the then Tehsildar (S) Jammu, Mohammad Bashir the then Tehsildar Bahu, Jammu, Mohd Sarwar Lone the then Naib Tehsildar Bahu, Jammu, Mohd Rasheed Malik the then Patwari Chowadhi, Jammu, beneficiaries and others, for allotment of state land in favour of Tara Singh S/O Lehna Singh R/O Deli Rakh Bandu, Distt. Jammu, under the provision of the Govt. order No. 254/C dated 19.07.2014 without fulfilling the conditions of the Cabinet Order No. 578-C of 1954,” a spokesman said in a statement issued to media today.

During the course of enquiry conducted into the matter, the spokesman said that it has surfaced that allotment order was issued by the then PRO, Jammu, on 24-05-2013 in favour of said Tara Singh as refugee allottee under Cabinet Order No. 578-C and ownership rights have been conferred upon the allottee on 19-07-2014 under the provision of Govt. order No. 254/C in violation of the said cabinet order, wherein it is clearly mentioned the allottee shall have to cultivate the land personally, within a period of six months from the date of the allotment, failing which he will forfeit his right to hold the land and it shall be allotted to some other displaced person.

“Further, as per the Register Khasra Girdawari the land in question remained continuously entered in the name of one Nazir Ahmad S/o Alam Deen as Gair Muroosi. Moreover, as per the revenue record, allotted land in question was neither in possession of allotee Tara Singh nor entry of Girdawari has been found in the revenue record in the name of said allottee, whereas, Power of Attorney pertaining to the land in question in favour of Javid Iqbal has been executed well before the conferment of ownership rights in favour of Tara Singh,” the statement added.

In this way, the then Tehsildar Settlement Jammu, along with the then Revenue Officers/Officials of Tehsil Bahu, Jammu, beneficiary Tara Singh, Nazir Ahmad, and attorney holder Javed Iqbal, conspired together in a well-orchestrated manner to illegally obtain state land, the statement reads, adding that they subsequently sold the land-worth crores-causing significant loss to the state exchequer.

“Further investigation is going on,” the spokesman said.