J-K ACB files chargesheet against 22 for tampering with revenue records, fraudulent withdrawals

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The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau on Saturday filed a chargesheet against 22 persons for allegedly tampering with revenue records and fraudulently withdrawing payments in Budgam district, an official said. The accused include two collectors of the Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), earlier known as Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA), four retired public servants and 16 beneficiaries, a spokesperson of the anti-graft body said. J-K ACB filed a chargesheet against 22 persons fraudulently withdrawing payments through insertions and tampering with revenue records in the central Kashmir district, he said.

The case was registered on the basis of a joint surprise check (JSC) conducted by the ACB into allegations of abuse of official positions of the Rukhs and Farms department in Kashmir, he said. He said that the alleged abuse was done by way of making insertions and tampering with the revenue records which led to the subsequent drawl of fraudulent payments against the excess state land and shown allotted to Kamas (tenants) at Rakh-e-Aerth Budgam. During the JSC inspection, conducted into compensation payments made for the rehabilitation of Dal dwellers, it was revealed that the officials of the Revenue and Agriculture department "conspired" with certain beneficiaries (Kamas/tenants) to "fraudulently inflate land records" to claim excess compensation, the spokesperson said.

"These officials abused their positions to show excessive land possession in favour of beneficiaries leading to undue payments and losses to the state exchequer," he added. The losses amounted to Rs 38.20 lakh. "Through fraudulent mutations, the land in possession was shown as 60 kanals instead of 6 kanals under Khasra No 1692, 40 kanals instead of 4 kanals under Khasra No 1666/750 and 07 kanal-10 marlas instead of 2 kanals under Khasra No 1736," the spokesperson said. A case was registered under the J-K Prevention of Corruption Act Svt. 2006 read with 120-B RPC in ACB Srinagar for further investigation. The investigation of the case was concluded as "proved" and after the accord of government sanction for launching prosecution against the 22 people, the challan of the case was produced before the court for Judicial determination, he added.

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