Govt reclaims land taken using fake documents

The Revenue Department restored 4 acres of Government Gomala land in Devanahalli allegedly occupied using fake documents.

During the enquiry, the court of the Assistant Commissioner, Doddaballapur sub-division, found that the person to whom the land was allegedly granted in 1965 was nine years old at that time.

The Assistant Commissioner has ordered the grant order as null and void and restored the government land.

The case is evidence of the almost endemic practice of claiming land using bogus orders and fake documents. It involves a government gomala land at survey number 159 in Illthore village, Devanahalli Taluk. The enquiry was held after the Devanahalli Tahasildar gave a report to the Assistant Commissioner raising doubts on the age of the person to whom the land was granted.

The enquiry revealed that the land-grant order (LND/SR/706/65-66) was issued in favour of one Muniyappa on September 8, 1965. It then changed hands twice.

While Muniyappa sold the land to one Ambuja in 2007, Ambuja subsequently sold it to Niraj Maurya in 2010.

The land’s original grant records were not available when Ambuja bought it. She then filed an application seeking to reconstruct the missing grant records. The department assigned a new survey number and transferred the revenue entries. The land was also converted from agriculture to non-agriculture category.

The Tahasildar submitted Muniyappa’s study certificate to establish that he was nine years old in 1965.

“The document produced with the report -the study certificate issued by the government primary school Illthore- confirms that as per the school records, the alleged grantee of the land in question, Muniyappa, was born on 09-09-1957. As on the date of grant in his favour, he was aged about 9 years only. If that is so, he is not entitled for grant of any land under the provisions of the Act and any grant in his favour is null and void,’’ the Assistant Commissioner has stated in the order dated August 14.

Based on the Assistant Commissioner’s order, the revenue entries have been entered in favour of the government.