Villagers challenge 142-kanal land deal of minister’s kin

KHARAR:An issue pertaining to 458 kanals of land at Seonk village in Kharar subdivision, involving relatives of a Punjab minister, which led to much hue and cry inside and outside the Punjab Assembly earlier, has reached the court of the Kharar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM).

Our Correspondent

Kharar, July 21

An issue pertaining to 458 kanals of land at Seonk village in Kharar subdivision, involving relatives of a Punjab minister, which led to much hue and cry inside and outside the Punjab Assembly earlier, has reached the court of the Kharar Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM).

A case for setting aside the order of the Naib Tehsildar-cum-AC (second grade), Majri, dated January 18, 2017, has been filed by Sher Singh and Mohinder Singh, both khewatdars of Seonk village, before the court of the Kharar SDM, who has fixed August 1 as the next date of hearing in the case.

The case has been filed against Rana Ranjit Singh and his wife Sukhjiner Kaur, both residents of Sector 4, Chandigarh, and Makbuja Malkan of Seonk village. The applicants have pleaded before the court that Rana Ranjit Singh and his wife Sukhjinder Kaur had purchased 142 kanals in Seonk village of which a major portion was “gair mumkin pahar” and they were not in possession of any portion of the land in the village. “They are influential persons,” they pleaded. They (Ranas) filed an application for correction of the khasra girdawari in the above court on December 14, 2016. The court allegedly decided the said application illegally, arbitrarily and unconstitutionally on January 18, 2017, in their favour in a short period against the law and facts on the file.

The applicants and none of the khewatdars of the village were summoned by the Naib Tehsildar and no notice was given to them. They have written that the respondents are owners of the land in the village (about 142 kanals), but they got the khasra girdawri of land measuring 458 kanals and 2 marlas in their name in connivance with the Naib Tehsildar. They have alleged that now they were threatening to take forcible possession of the land. They came to know about the above order on June 19, 2017, and immediately submitted a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner, Mohali, but no action was taken by the officer. They have pleaded that the order, dated January 18, 2017, should be set aside.

They have written that the above respondents had mortgaged this land with the Union Bank of India after producing false reports of value of the land in question although the issue of title of this land in dispute was pending before the court of the Director, Rural Department and Panchayats.

They have also given an application for setting up a local commission to inspect the land in question.