SRINAGAR, APRIL 14: National Conference (NC) Member of Parliament (MP) Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has been named among 22 individuals in a chargesheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with a two-decade-old land compensation scam. Expressing shock over the development, the Srinagar MP claimed he had never been contacted or informed about the case before the chargesheet was filed.
The chargesheet was filed on Saturday by the ACB following a joint surprise check into allegations of misuse of official positions by the Rukhs and Farms department in Kashmir. The case involves fraudulent tampering of revenue records and illegal compensation payments concerning state land in Rakh-e-Arath, Budgam.
“It is as much a surprise to me as it is to the people. On the day of the chargesheet, I came to know about this land scam,” said Mehdi, a prominent Shia leader. “If the crime was committed 20 years ago, where were the administration, ACB, and police? Questioning should have happened. I didn’t get any legal notice,” he added.
According to the ACB, the scam involved fraudulent insertions and alterations in land records, allowing certain beneficiaries to receive excess compensation for land acquired by the government for rehabilitating residents of Dal Lake. The fraudulent compensation allegedly caused a loss of Rs 38.20 lakh to the state exchequer.
“Initially, the government paid compensation only to those who had land registered as owners. There was a protest by the tillers demanding compensation. Later, they too were paid,” Mehdi explained. He said some land in the acquired area was registered in his grandfather’s name, and he received compensation as a legal heir.
The ACB stated that officials from the Revenue and Agriculture departments colluded with beneficiaries (Kamas/tenants) to fraudulently inflate land holdings under specific Khasra numbers to claim higher compensation. For instance, under Khasra No. 1692, the land was falsely shown as 60 kanals instead of 6; under Khasra No. 1666/750, it was recorded as 40 kanals instead of 4; and under Khasra No. 1736, it was marked as 07 kanal-10 marlas instead of 2 kanals.
The case has been registered under the Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act Svt. 2006, read with Section 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), and is currently under further investigation by ACB Srinagar.
