Jammu, Nov 06 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered an FIR against a then Naib Tehsildar, a Patwari and two private persons for facilitating the wrongful occupation of State land in Gurha Brahmana village of Jammu, officials said.
In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), an ACB spokesperson said the FIR was registered against the then Naib Tehsildar, Patwari and certain private persons for their alleged involvement in facilitating the wrongful occupation of State land at Gurha Brahmana.
He said the FIR was registered on the basis of Verification No. 02/2024, conducted into a complaint lodged by Sohan Singh. The verification prima facie revealed that the accused public servants had allegedly abused and misused their official positions and failed to discharge their duties in accordance with the law, thereby facilitating wrongful gain to private persons and causing consequential wrongful loss to the complainant as well as the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
The spokesperson said the complainant had alleged that he had purchased one kanal of land falling under Khasra No. 65-min through a registered sale deed dated 17.01.2005, followed by the attestation of Mutation No. 2229 dated 18.02.2005.
However, during verification, it was revealed that the land actually delivered to and occupied by the complainant fell under Khasra No. 96, which is recorded as State land.
He said the verification further revealed that the then Patwari Babu Ram and the then Naib Tehsildar Ram Lal Sharma, allegedly in connivance with private persons Chaman Lal and Ram Chand, facilitated the preparation and issuance of revenue documents on the basis of an unauthenticated Dasti Khaka, without properly verifying the authentic revenue records and the actual position of the land on the spot.
The spokesperson further said that the private persons, through their respective attorney holders, namely Ram Pal and Kasturi Lal, allegedly executed the sale deed and delivered possession of land falling under Khasra No. 96 instead of the land covered under Khasra No. 65-min.
The report submitted by the Tehsildar, Jammu North, dated 10.07.2026, further confirmed that the complainant was not in possession of land falling under Khasra No. 65-min but was occupying land under Khasra No. 96, which stands recorded as State land, he said.
Accordingly, a case has been registered under Section 5(1)(d) read with Section 5(2) of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, Svt. 2006, and Sections 120-B, 420, 467, 468 and 471 RPC. Further investigation in the case is underway—(KNO)