Enquiry into a complaint of land grabbing conducted by the district administration has revealed the connivance of Revenue Department officials in the sale of land and transfer of its patta to another person four years after the death of the landlord.
Collector Anshul Mishra has ordered action against a Tahsildar, Deputy Tahsildar and Village Administrative Officer for forgery and connivance in the crime. An enquiry by the Revenue Divisional Officer was ordered after Solai Ammal, widow of K.Karuppanan of Muduvarpatti, made a representation to the Collector on Facebook.
The Collector said there was prima facie evidence in the case as the land records were transferred to the name of one I.Joseph in 1996 based on a document of power of attorney, whereas Karuppanan had died in 1992.
“Initially Joseph argued that the land did not belong to Solaiammal’s husband but some other Karuppanan. But when the officials asked him to produce the Karuppanan in question he could not do so,” the Collector said. Besides, Karuppanan was an unlettered man and only used to leave his thumb impressions, whereas the document showed that he had signed the papers. The enquiry also revealed that the record for transfer of right under Transfer of Registry Act was forged. “The RTR number given in the case belonged to some other land,” he said.
Later, Joseph had sold the land to a real estate promoter and the patta was transferred in 2005. Stating that the district police had closed a case pertaining to this land grab issue under the guise of “mistake of facts,” the Collector said he had now ordered the police to re-investigate the case. The district administration would take steps to vacate the stay ordered by the High Court to proceed in the case, he added.
