Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Friday recommended the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to suspend and initiate “major penalty proceedings” against a Delhi government bureaucrat for alleged corruption.
According to sources, the official is accused of illegally transferring land worth crores of rupees belonging to the Delhi government’s Forest Department, located in north Delhi’s Zindpur village, to a private party.
A complaint in this regard was filed in 2021. Sources said the present case is a part of a “land scam” which has already resulted in the suspension of 5 officers — an ADM, two SDMs, a sub-registrar and a deputy secretary posted in the Delhi Chief Minister’s office, on the instructions of the L-G last month.
The instance of “grave irregularity”, sources said, had pointed to a pattern revolving around the subtle and illegal sale of parcels of Gram Sabha land across the Capital — especially north and south Delhi.
The sources added that complaints related to the lands were being “minutely” investigated by Mr. Saxena since he took over as the Capital’s L-G.
The L-G has, according to sources, instructed that such complaints be investigated and disposed of as fast as possible. Meanwhile, action against more government officials involved in similar “scams” is in the offing over the coming days.
The sources said Mr. Saxena had approved the initiation of major penalty proceedings and recommended to the MHA the suspension of Nitin Jindal (DANICS) who was holding the position of ADM (North) under the Revenue Department when the alleged illegal transfer of land took place.
Mr. Jindal has been charged with illegally transferring the Forest Department’s land in Zindpur village under the North District to private individuals in March, 2021.
“The Directorate of Vigilance, prima facie, found grave misconduct by the concerned officer who willfully ignored established ownership of the land with the forest department,” a source said.
“This was despite the ownership being upheld time and again by different orders of the Financial Commissioner as well as the Hon’ble High Court and transferred the said land illegally on the basis of a much inferior ADJ court for extraneous considerations,” the source also said.
According to sources, the official faces charges of “receiving huge pecuniary benefits” by “abusing his official powers” for illegally and blatantly transferring the said land which is valued at crores of rupees.
An appeal regarding the land was initially being heard by the DM and Collector (North) being the appellate authority, but for some reasons, Jindal, the then ADM (North) started hearing the matter in February, 2021 without any jurisdiction in the matter, the source said.
DM and Collector (North), in his previous hearings, sources said, had noted that the piece of land belonged to the Forest Department.
“The Delhi High Court in a judgement on January 23, 2012, had also ruled that the land was forest land and was to be maintained green. By ignoring the HC order, Mr. Jindal has also committed contempt of the High Court,” the source said.
Political blamegame
Meanwhile, the development triggered a war of words between AAP and the BJP. Greater Kailash AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said the matter was taken up in the Petitions Committee of the Delhi Legislative Assembly before being referred to the Vigilance Department.
“After a few proceedings in Petitions Committee, the matter was referred to Vigilance Department and suspension was recommended to the Competent Authority” he tweeted.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor urged the L-G to initiate an inquiry against the Revenue Minister arguing that such a “big scam” could not have been perpetrated by a single officer alone.
In his tweet, Mr. Kapoor tagged the L-G and said an officer alone can’t carry out “such a big scam”. “There is all the possibility of concerned Minister’s involvement. It needs to be investigated,” the tweet added.
