FIR against Prestige for encroaching govt land

Prestige Estate Projects Ltd is in the dock for allegedly encroaching 24 guntas of government kharab land adjacent to its project near Whitefield.

Following a complaint filed by Ramalakshmanaiah, tahsildar of KR Puram division, Whitefield police registered an FIR charging the company under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act and under IPC section 447 (tresspass) on Thursday.

Ramalakshmanaiah stated in his complaint that Prestige management had illegally acquired the kharab land of 24 guntas at survey no. 2/1D and sought legal action. The encroachment came to light after residents noticed it and complained at the taluk office.

Later, Ramalakshmanaiah visited the spot, confirmed the encroachment and brought it to the notice of his seniors before filing the complaint.

Prestige has denied the charge. "The kharab land in question is located within our property. On our application, the government has denotified it as kharab. However, it's not allotted to us. When we were cleaning the surroundings, some locals complained that we were encroaching on this land. Hence, the tahsildar may have filed this FIR. We clarify that we have not encroached any kharab land as alleged," Arvind Pai , the legal head at Prestige Group said.