Palampur scam: SDM halts sale of land, offers relief to 20 displaced families

In a significant administrative intervention, Palampur Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Netra Meti has imposed a stay on the sale of 101 kanal of disputed land in Mohal Banuri Khans. The land, home to 20 families for the past 80 years, was recently vacated following an eviction order passed by the naib tehsildar of Palampur. The SDM’s order has brought much-needed relief to the affected families, who had been facing eviction-related distress for over a month.

In her directive, SDM Meti instructed the tehsildar and naib tehsildar of Palampur to halt the registration of any sale deeds concerning the disputed land until further notice. She noted that appeals filed by the aggrieved families are already under consideration in her court.

The 20 families, reportedly bona fide occupants of the land, claim ownership rights under the Himachal Pradesh Land Tenancy and Reforms Act, 1972. According to the provisions of the Act, individuals cultivating land after October 3, 1972, were deemed to have become its rightful owners. However, land under their possession was allegedly transferred to individuals claiming to be legal heirs of previous leaseholders — based on erroneous revenue record corrections. These new claimants sold the land without providing the current occupants a fair hearing.

Local MLA Ashish Butail stepped in after the issue came to his attention. He intervened to ensure a fair review of the matter and directed the SDM to expedite the hearing of appeals on a daily basis to ensure justice for the displaced families.

Sources have revealed that the eviction order issued by the Revenue Officer Grade II, Palampur, was riddled with procedural lapses and violations of natural justice. Summons were neither personally served nor dispatched through the standard village procedures. Instead, notices were affixed at the Palampur Municipal Corporation office — a location unrelated to the disputed land’s jurisdiction — thus depriving the affected parties of a fair opportunity to be heard.

Further, mutations in the revenue records were allegedly recorded even before the legally mandated 30-day appeal window had elapsed, raising serious concerns about administrative overreach and procedural impropriety.

Himachal Tribune