On Monday (16 November 2020), three separate cases in pursuance of the orders of Jammu and Kashmir High Court on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to the alleged ₹ 25,000 crores Roshini Land Scam were registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Earlier this case was registered by Vigilance Organization, Jammu but a division bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Courthanded over the probe to CBI.
The CBI gave total details of three cases in a release, which are as under:
• The very first case was registered against unknown officials of Revenue Department, Jammu with the allegations that the officers and officials of Revenue Department of District Jammu had conferred undue benefits upon the illegal occupants of the State land by knowingly ignoring the Roshini Act and Rules, thereby conferring ownership rights of the state land wrongfully to selective undeserving persons and hence caused heavy monetary losses to the State Exchequer. It said, “It was further alleged that the purpose of Jammu and Kashmir State Lands (vesting of ownership rights to the occupants) Act, 2001, i.e., generation of revenue for undertaking developmental works in the state was defeated.”
• The second case was registered against the unknown officers and officials of the Revenue Department of District Samba with the allegations that the officers and officials of Revenue Department, District Samba had conferred undue pecuniary benefits upon the illegal occupants of the State Land by intentionally contravening the legal provisions of the Roshini Act. It said that “It was further alleged that in many cases, ownership rights over the state land were conferred in favor of individuals, who were not having the recorded possession in their respective names in the revenue records. It was also alleged that the rates were not fixed by the price fixation committee, as per the provisions of the act and in many cases were not remitted to the government treasury, thereby causing huge loss to the state exchequer.”
• The third case was registered with the connection against a private person who is a resident of Gandhi Nagar, Jammu who are the unknown officers and officials of Revenue Department and unknown officers and officials of Jammu Development Authority (JDA) with the allegations that the Revenue officers and officials of Jammu district had entered into a criminal conspiracy with the said person and conferred the ownership rights with regard to land measuring 05 Kanal and 02 Marlas (approx.) comprised in Khasra Number 781 located at village Deeli Tehsil, Jammu District. CBI said that “It was further alleged that accused in pursuance of a criminal conspiracy hatched among themselves had illegally regularised the said state land without the existence of any entry in revenue records and issued NOC in favor of the beneficiary for construction of the commercial building over the land”. It further said that the investigation is still being continued.
