80-year-old rights lost overnight!

Over twenty families who have resided in Mohal Banuri Khas for the past eighty years have been displaced following an allegedly illegal order issued by revenue authorities. The land in their possession has been transferred in the names of other individuals, allegedly in connivance with certain revenue officials.

This was done by making unauthorised corrections to official land records without providing the affected families a reasonable opportunity to be heard. As a result, these families have been stripped of more than 100 kanals of valuable land located just 5 km from Palampur.

What makes the situation more alarming is the astonishing speed with which these actions were executed. The land records were altered within just four days, and the land was sold based on these illegal changes within the following 15 days. Such expedited corrections and subsequent sales strongly suggest manipulation, abuse of power and tampering of official documents. This sequence of events raises serious concerns about the integrity of the process and underscores the urgent need for a thorough investigation to uncover possible misconduct, collusion and abuse of authority.

While addressing mediapersons today, the affected families said the actions taken by the Assistant Collectors of 1st and 2nd Grade were illegal, arbitrary and fraught with major procedural and jurisdictional violations. They explained that the Assistant Collector 2nd Grade initially transferred the case to the 1st Grade on jurisdictional grounds without issuing any formal order or providing legal justification. Later, the case was transferred back to the 2nd Grade officer, creating significant procedural confusion and revealing a lack of jurisdictional clarity.

Ashwani Kumar, representing the displaced families, said the Assistant Collector 1st Grade claimed to be acting under Section 104(4) of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act but failed to initiate any formal proceedings as mandated under the law. No notices were issued, no inquiry was conducted, and no issues were framed, effectively rendering the families homeless and landless through entirely illegal means.

He further highlighted that the entire process violated fundamental principles of natural justice. Summons were neither personally served nor sent via the prescribed village procedure. Instead, they were merely affixed at the Municipal Corporation Office in Palampur—a location unrelated to the concerned revenue area—thus depriving the affected families of a fair opportunity to respond.

The victims also pointed out that the revenue officer’s ex parte declaration lacked legal compliance and was premature. The spot inspection was conducted without notifying the affected parties, and the Field Kanungo failed to submit any report. Most concerningly, the Assistant Collector 2nd Grade himself prepared the spot report, a serious breach of impartiality and protocol as per the Land Records Manual.

They revealed that the Naib Tehsildar hurriedly sanctioned Mutation No. 1511 even before the expiry of the mandatory 30-day appeal period, raising concerns of bias and predetermination. They also claimed that the mutation was based on an invalid inheritance claim supported by a falsified death certificate concerning Ms. Rojana Saraf.

When contacted by The Tribune, Palampur Tehsildar Sajan Bagga said the matter had come to his notice and appropriate action was being initiated. Local MLA Ashish Butail said the victims of the land scam had also met with him. He described it as a very serious matter and stated that he had asked Palampur SDM Netra Meti to investigate the scam. Butail assured the affected families that he would take the issue up with the Chief Minister and ensure that corrupt revenue officers were held accountable, promising that justice would be served

Himachal Tribune