J&K ACB Files Two FIRs against Girdawar for DA and Fraudulent Land Acquisition

MAY 24: Anti corruption Bureau conducted verification into the allegations of accumulation of Disproportionate Assets(DA) through corrupt practices by one Patwari Halqa Matipora Pattan namely Abdul Majid Sheikh @ Malla R/o Wahigund Kunzer, Baramulla, (Now Girdawar Qanoongo Circle Nowshera Tehsil Boniyar). The Verification revealed that the public servant is in possession of various disproportionate assets in the shape of immovable/movable properties acquired by him in his name as well as in the name of his family members. Some of these properties/plots purchased by the suspect Abdul Majid Sheikh @ Malla during check period includes: – Land measuring 05 Kanals & 13 Marlas situated at Wahigund, Kunzer under survey No. 04. Land measuring 03 Marlas situated at Wahighund, Kunzer under survey No. 216/73. Land measuring 10.05 Marlas situated at Wahigund, Kunzer under survey No. 215/73. Land measuring 13 Marlas situated at Wahigund, Kunzer under survey No.91. Land measuring 01 Kanal at Wahigund, Kunzer in the name of suspect’s wife. Land measuring 04 Kanals & 04 Marlas situated at Wahigund, Kunzer. Land measuring 01 Kanal & 10 Marlas situatd at Wahigund, Kunzer in the name of suspect’s son Ishfaq Majid. Land measuring 13 Marlas with single storey structure & two shops situated at Pattan, Baramulla in the name of suspect’s wife. Land measuring 03 Marlas situated at Pattan.

The verification conducted further revealed that he has also constructed a double-storey house having a plinth area of 600 sft at Wahigund, Kunzer on ancestral land & is also having huge doubtful transactions in his various Bank accounts, besides is in possession of other properties/assets. The value of assets so accumulated as well as expenditure incurred by the suspect public servant were found disproportionate to his known sources of income for which he fail to satisfactorily give account. Accordingly, on culmination of the probe a Case FIR No 07/2024 under section 5(1) (e) r/w 5 (2) J&K P.C Act. Svt; 2006 was registered in PS ACB Baramulla against Abdul Majid Sheikh @ Malla, the then Patwari (now posted as Girdawar Qanoongo Circle Nowshera Tehsil Boniyar) and investigation was initiated. Immediately after registration of the case searches were also conducted at the residence of the accused during which some cash of ₹3.80 lakh beside other incriminating documents were also recovered which were seized on spot.

During the course of this DA verification it surfaced that the suspect has purchased immovable property in the shape of proprietary land of more than 16 Kanals from many persons falling under different survey Nos at Wahigund Kunzer from time to time and these properties have been fraudulently mutated by way of two oral gift deeds in order to evade applicable stamp duty & registration fee etc.

It was found that the accused Girdawar in league with revenue officers/officials namely 1) Bashir Ahmad Reshi S/o Ghulam Qadir Reshi R/o Kanloo, then Patwari Halqa Wailoo, Kralpor, 2) Manzoor Ahmad Khanday S/o Abdul Ahad Khanday R/o Ultkoo, Kawarhuma Tangmarg, then Patwari Halqa Wailoo Kralpora and 3) Altaf Hussain Khan S/o Saifullah Khan R/o House No. 112-A Balgarden, Srinagar, then Naib Tehsildar Wailoo Kralpora had illegally and fraudulently entered two different oral gift mutations vide No. 117 dated Nil & No. 123 dated 15.01.2015 in mutation register of the revenue record of Patwari Halqa, Wailoo Kralpora, Kunzer in utter violation of laid down norms in vogue.

The verification conducted further revealed that the above named officers/officials in league with suspect beneficiary have made illegal insertions in revenue record by changing actual mutation No. 117 into 117/1, and then mutation No. 117 was fraudulently given to questioned oral gift mutation in the register, by incorporating additional page into original mutation register, thereby land measuring 05 Kanals & 07 Marlas was shown orally gifted to suspect, his wife as well as his son which was actually purchased by Abdul Majid Sheikh @ Malla against substantial consideration amounts.

It has also found that similarly, another oral gift mutation No. 123 was illegally and fraudulently inserted in Parti-Patwar register by said revenue officers/officials by showing land measuring 14-Kanals & 05 Marlas orally gifted to suspect and to his brother which was too purchased by suspect Abdul Majid Sheikh @ Malla against substantial consideration amount. Therefore, in both the cases, the involved revenue officers/officials were having ample knowledge that the said land propertieswere not actually been orally gifted to the suspect beneficiary or to any one of his family members but have been purchased for consideration. As such, the entry in this regard in the revenue record by unduly showing them as orally gifted was illegal, fraudulent and in contraventionto laid down norms.

The verification conducted as such revealed that the above named revenue officers/officials, by abuse of their official positions and under a well-knit criminal conspiracy with the suspect beneficiary Abdul Majid Sheikh @ Malla have paved a way to evade the applicable stamp duty as well as registration charges, thereby conferred huge undue pecuniary gains upon themselves as well as to beneficiary with commensurate loss to Government exchequer. Accordingly, a separate FIR No 08 under section 5(1) (d) r/w 5(2) J&K PC Act Svt-2006 and sections 467, 468,471,120-B of RPC was registered at ACB PS Baramulla and investigations were initiated against all three revenue officials including the beneficiary accused namely Abdul Majid Sheikh @ Malla resident of Wahigund Tehsil Kunzer. Further investigations in both cases are going on.