J&K revenue officials booked for altering ownership rights

The Jammu and Kashmir Vigilance Organisation has booked four people, including two Revenue officials for allegedly hatching a criminal conspiracy in manipulating the ownership rights of a piece of land.
On the basis of a verification conducted by the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) into the allegations leveled against revenue officers and officials of Tehsil Akhnoor, it was revealed that one Baldev Singh of village Khour in Tehsil Akhnoor was in possession and ownership of a land measuring 2 kanals and 03 marlas, an official spokesman said.
The accused officials Vijay Kumar (then Tehsildar Akhnoor) and Padam Kumar (then Patwari Halqa Khour) hatched a criminal conspiracy with Joginder Singh and Sikandar Singh of village Khour, he said.

The SVO stated that the officials by abuse of their official position in furtherance of criminal conspiracy manipulated the record on the basis of a fake affidavit (Mukhtar-e-Aam), purportedly shown executed by original owner Baldev Singh in their favour.
The accused public servants did not choose to call original owner for authentication of the said affidavit, instead they changed the name of original owner Baldev Singh in Girdawari to above referred beneficiaries, the spokesman said.
It has prima-facie been established that the Revenue officers in connivance with beneficiaries namely, Joginder Singh and Sakander Singh exhibited gross misconduct by blatant abuse of their official position thereby conferred undue benefits upon them, the SVO said.

The spokesman added that a case has been registered against the revenue officers and others, while further investigation was on in the matter.