CUTTACK: The alleged land scam involving six plots in Bomikhal and 21 plots in Bhoinagar spread over several acre in the State Capital has gathered heat with the Orissa High Court asking the CBI to make a preliminary inquiry into it.
While issuing direction the Single Judge Bench of Justice Biswanath Rath said, “It is not known, if there is already involvement of land scam, as this court finds, even the schedule involves six acre and odd but as a whole nearly 47 acre of land appears to be involved in a posh locality of Bhubaneswar.”
“If the Superintendent of Police, CBI feels it is appropriate to proceed further to find out any involvement of financial irregularities or criminal angle and land scam involving the land involved herein, he may proceed in accordance with law,” Justice Rath said in the September 16 order.
Justice Rath favoured a CBI probe saying, “This court does not involve the State agencies, as this Court finds, there might be an unholy connivance of the parties with some of the Public Officers in discharge of their duties as the public authorities under the General Administration department and in charge of the case, perhaps there is also some persons working clandestinely remaining behind the screen.”
While issuing the direction on a review petition filed by the State government. “At this stage the investigation only includes to find out if money and/or criminal angle already involved and to trace the parties, if any, presently not treating the plaintiffs (claimants) named hereinabove as accused,” Justice Rath specified.
According to case records some persons who were in possession of the lands filed applications in Munsif Court, Bhubaneswar (trial court) for ownership in 1988. The State government claimed that the lands belonged to the government as they were acquired under land acquisition proceedings in 1962. But the court issued orders in their favour on October 28, 1991.
Then the State government challenged the order in the Court of Additional District Judge, Bhubaneswar, which ordered for fresh hearing by the lower court. This order was challenged by the private parties in High Court on October 12, 2001.
However, the High Court quashed the Additional District Judge Court’s order on June 27, 2012. The State government filed a review petition against it in 2019. The High Court quashed its own order on April 8, 2012 and directed the concerned lower court in Bhubaneswar to complete fresh hearing on the petition of the private parties within six months. The HC took up the review petition again as the lower court did not conclude the hearing.