VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Nov 4: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into the Indian Army land scam case in Ranchi has revealed involvement of a senior official of the Ranchi district administration.
Notably, the ED on Friday carried out raids against Kolkata -based businessman Amit Agrawal, his associate Vishnu Agrawal, besides sub registrars of Ranchi and others.
Well-placed sources confided that a revenue official has confessed before the ED that a very senior official of Ranchi district administration had pressurized his subordinates to execute transfer of the said land for which documents were forged to change ownership of land of the said land.
Notably, the ED during the raid today is learnt to have seized some of the documents pertaining to the registry of some vast chunks of land located in Ranchi. The ED suspects that in these cases also the sale and purchase might have been done in a fraudulent manner with forged documents.
Land measuring 4.55 acres in Ranchi under possession of Indian Army fraudulently sold
Notably, the inquiry set-up by South Chhotanagpur Divisional Commissioner, Nitin Madan Kulkarni also stated that 4.55 acres of land in Ranchi currently under possession of Indian Army, but owned Jayant Karnad, was fraudulently sold out to one Dilip Ghosh.
The inquiry was ordered in the wake of a complaint lodged by national general secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Anusuchit Jati Mahasabha, Upendra Kumar in November 2021. Kolkata -based Dilip Ghosh is the director of Jagatbandhu Tea Estate Private Limited and he is learnt to have a close connection in the power portal of Jharkhand.
The inquiry conducted by the Deputy Director (Welfare) has said that a fake document (registration number 4369/19932) of the ownership of the said land was created in favour of the seller Pradeep Bagchi. In that fake document, the year 1932 has been mentioned. Pradeep Bagchi claimed that his father had purchased the said land from raiyats in 1932 and the registry was held at Calcutta land registry office. The copy of that ‘fake’ document was also said to had been interpolated in the land records of the Kolkata registry office.
“Prima facie the allegation is found true that the sale of the land was executed in a fraudulent manner” on October 1, 2021, the inquiry report states.
The report states that Pradeep Bagachi claimed that his father Prafulla Bagchi purchased land in 1932.
“It is a prime costly land situated in the heart of the city under occupation of the Indian Army. It is very surprising that after the said purchase Bagchis never turned to any court against occupation of their land by the Indian Army or to demand rent. 90 years later, all of a sudden, Pradeep Bagchi came and sold the land to Dilip Kumar Ghosh, director of Jagatbandhu Tea Estate. It creates strong doubts,” the report states.
Brief history of land
As per the record, the said land is situated under Bargain block, Mauja Morabadi, police station number 192 and ward 21. The land was originally registered in the name of Pramod Nath Das Gupta which was later on transferred to his rightful legal heir Jayant Karnad.
The land witnessed many legal judgments and administrative orders from 1967 onward for the claim of rent and occupancy rights. As per the record the said land has been occupied by the Indian Army from April 1943 and the Indian Army used to pay the rental to the owner. In 2007 Jayant Karnad moved a Writ Petition (1903/2007) before the High Court for the release of his property from the occupation of Indian Army. The High Court on October 22, 2008 ordered the Indian Army to deposit the rent in the favour of Jayant Karnad up to the period of November 2008.
In March 2009, the court ordered in the favour of Jayant karnad and ordered the army to vacate his land.
The Defense Estate Officer of the Indian Army filed an L.P.A. (205/2009), Interlocutory Application (7440/2017) and CMP (282/2017) against the order of the court. But the court ruled in the favour of the petitioner and did not grant any relief to the Indian Army.
But despite that the land remained under possession of the Indian Army. It is evident from the fact that when Jayant Karnad sold out land to 13 different people in 2019. The circle officer of Bargain block refused to execute transfer of the ownership of the land to the purchaser on the ground that said land was under occupation of the Indian Army not the seller even if he is owner.
Other findings of inquiry report
Replying to the documents, the inquiry officer said that judgments and administrative orders between 1967 and 2017 related to this land leave no doubt as to who is the rightful owner.
“The high court judgment clearly states that the land must be released in favour of the heirs of Munjeswar Lakshman Rao (maternal grandson of Pramod Nath Das Gupta). The land is under possession of the Indian Army. But despite that sale was allowed to be executed which is very doubtful,” the report states.
The inquiry officer stated that Pradeep Bagchi claimed that land mafias sold out his land by forging fake documents. The Indian Army was only verbally asked to use his land. Suh claims are bogus.
The inquiry report has claimed that Bagchi fraudulently obtained a holding number from Ranchi Municipal Corporation in April 2021 for which he used the documents (electricity bill) which belong to somebody else. He did all these to prove himself as the rightful owner.
