<p>The Supreme Court on Friday said that persistent land scams in the country involving organised criminals disrupted devlopement projects, eroded public trust and hindered socio-economic progress.</p>.<p>A bench of Justices Surya Kant and C T Ravikumar said land scams in India have been a persistent issue, involving fraudulent practices and illegal activities related to land acquisition, ownership, and transactions. </p>.<p>"Scammers often create fake land titles, forge sale deeds, or manipulate land records to show false ownership or an encumbrance-free status. Organised criminal networks often plan and execute these intricate scams, exploiting vulnerable individuals and communities, and resorting to intimidation or threats to force them to vacate their properties," the bench said.</p>.<p>These land scams not only result financial losses for individuals and investors but also disrupt development projects, erode public trust, and hinder socio-economic progress, the bench added.</p>.<p>The court set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court's May 31, 2022 order granting pre-arrest bail to a man, who executed a sale deed for a land worth over Rs 50 crore in Gurugram for a paltry sum of over Rs 6.6 crore on the basis of alleged forged and fabricated general power of attorney.</p>.<p>Dealing with an appeal by NRI couple Pratibha Manchanda and her husband, the court expanded the scope of inquiry by ordering the Commissioner of Police, Gurugram to form a Special Investigation Team to complete the probe within two months. </p>.<p>"We believe it is necessary to foil any trace of organised crime perpetrated by land mafia, through an unimpaired and unobstructed investigation," the bench said.</p>.<p>Going through the facts of the case, the bench said the appellants have seemingly fallen prey to a well -orchestrated conspiracy hatched to rob them of their highly valuable property. </p>.<p>"In such cases where the victims of a crime, on account of their old age and geographical distance, are unable to secure justice on their own, it falls upon Courts and the State to carry out their solemn duty to ward off injustice and restore the faith of one and all in the rule of law," the bench said.<br /> </p>
<p>The Supreme Court on Friday said that persistent land scams in the country involving organised criminals disrupted devlopement projects, eroded public trust and hindered socio-economic progress.</p>.<p>A bench of Justices Surya Kant and C T Ravikumar said land scams in India have been a persistent issue, involving fraudulent practices and illegal activities related to land acquisition, ownership, and transactions. </p>.<p>"Scammers often create fake land titles, forge sale deeds, or manipulate land records to show false ownership or an encumbrance-free status. Organised criminal networks often plan and execute these intricate scams, exploiting vulnerable individuals and communities, and resorting to intimidation or threats to force them to vacate their properties," the bench said.</p>.<p>These land scams not only result financial losses for individuals and investors but also disrupt development projects, erode public trust, and hinder socio-economic progress, the bench added.</p>.<p>The court set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court's May 31, 2022 order granting pre-arrest bail to a man, who executed a sale deed for a land worth over Rs 50 crore in Gurugram for a paltry sum of over Rs 6.6 crore on the basis of alleged forged and fabricated general power of attorney.</p>.<p>Dealing with an appeal by NRI couple Pratibha Manchanda and her husband, the court expanded the scope of inquiry by ordering the Commissioner of Police, Gurugram to form a Special Investigation Team to complete the probe within two months. </p>.<p>"We believe it is necessary to foil any trace of organised crime perpetrated by land mafia, through an unimpaired and unobstructed investigation," the bench said.</p>.<p>Going through the facts of the case, the bench said the appellants have seemingly fallen prey to a well -orchestrated conspiracy hatched to rob them of their highly valuable property. </p>.<p>"In such cases where the victims of a crime, on account of their old age and geographical distance, are unable to secure justice on their own, it falls upon Courts and the State to carry out their solemn duty to ward off injustice and restore the faith of one and all in the rule of law," the bench said.<br /> </p>
