Sale of panchayat land: Rajpura MC approaches court

Ravneet Singh

Tribune News Service

Patiala, May 3

The Municipal Council Rajpura has filed a case against 18 people over the registration of panchayat land on the Sirhind-Ludhiana road 30 years ago.

The 13,320-square yard “shamlat land” was sold after the formation of an “illegal committee”, said MC officials.

Municipal Council officials said the case was in the court of Civil Judge (Junior Division – 3).

“The case is regarding the council’s land adjacent to the Sirhind-Ludhiana road. It belongs to the council but was sold by some people through formation of an illegal committee,” said Rajpura MC Executive Officer Ravneet Singh.

The MC filed a civil suit after the matter was brought to the council’s notice by Patiala resident Varun Malhotra.

Abhinav Oberoi, legal advisor to the Municipal Council, informed that the council had challenged all the sale deeds and mutations regarding the sold out land.

“The ownership of the land should legally be with the MC. We have challenged all the registration deeds,” he said.

The current market value of the land is more than Rs 26 crore, said Malhotra. However, it was sold at much lower price back in 1991, he added.

Sharing a recent response from the district revenue office to an RTI application, Malhotra said, “The land in question was shamlat land from 1962-63 till 1981-82 as per the records of the patwari office. Later, registration of the land was done in 1986-87 in the name of six persons, which was followed by mutation.”

Malhotra said the matter came to his knowledge in 2017 after which he visited various offices, including that of the council, Patiala Deputy Commissioner, Financial Commissioner (Revenue), and the Secretary, local government department, among others and filed various RTI applications and complaints.

“Finally, the council filed a court case in April this year,” he said.

Land in question

The land in question was shamlat land from 1962-63 till 1981-82 as per the records of the patwari office. Later, registration of the land was done in 1986-87 in the name of six persons, which was followed by mutation

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