Complaint filed against pontiff, revenue staff

They are accused of fabricating documents, making false claims

A fresh complaint was filed in the Special Lokayukta Court on Monday against Chandra Mouleshwara Shivacharya Swami of Ramalingeshwara Mutt and officials of the Revenue Department in a case alleging fabrication of documents and making false claims to obtain land.

The complainant S Sheshadri said that he owned more than 112 acres of land in Jarakabande Kaval, Yelahanka hobli, Bangalore North taluk and had entrusted the care of the land to one Bylappa.

However, after the death of Sheshadri’s father Soorappa, the caretaker along with two others, Venkataramaiah and Huchamma, filed applications stating they were the tenants on the property.

The complainant alleged that even without informing him they appealed before the Land Reforms Tribunal which passed orders without any notice to the complainant.

Successor

At no point did Bylappa and the others inform the Tribunal that Soorappa had a legal heir. The matter later went to the High Court which disposed it off.

 The complainant said that when he tried to obtain documents pertaining to the case filed before the Tribunal, then Special Tahsildar Gopalaswamy stated that no documents in respect of the proceedings were available.

Sheshadri contended that fearing prosecution for filing false claims, Bylappa and others entered into an agreement with the Mutt by using the forged and fabricated documents to make false claim on the land.

The Mutt was using a government order passed on December 28, 1996 which appointed Chandra Mouleshwara Shivacharya Swami as the head of the Mutt and, secondly allowing him to retrieve properties belonging to the Mutt in and around Bangalore supposedly based on what the Keladi Samsthana kings had given them in 1492, the complaint said.

This order was withdrawn by the government on April 29, 2003 but without revealing that the Mutt tried to occupy the land and created documents aided by then Under secretary of Revenue Department Ramachandraiah, the then Special Deputy Commissioner Ramanjaneya, Assistant Commissioners Ramakrishna and Kantharaj and Gopalaswamy.

The officials also erased the name of Soorappa from public records even though his name was on the RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops) till 2006. Bylappa and the others sold some of the land under five sale deeds to the Mutt, different trusts and individuals and received more than Rs 7 crore in cash.

All the accused are alleged to have committed offences under Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code.