Excess land payout: SIT raided houses of ex-Noida officials in Jan

Noida: A Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT), probing alleged excess payouts by Noida Authority for land compensation, conducted raids on the residences of the former officials in Jan and submitted its report to the state govt recently.Of the 12 former Noida Authority officials under investigation in the case, one has passed away, and the SIT has examined the other 11 officials, UP govt told Supreme Court on Wednesday.ADG Meerut Bhanu Bhaskar, one of the three members of the SIT set up in Aug last year, said that the team interrogated former officials two months ago. “We conducted this exercise for about three weeks and interrogated the officials concerned. We cannot share the details of the interrogation as the matter is sub judice.

We have submitted the report to the state govt, which moved it to the Supreme Court,” he said.On Jan 23, 2025, the top court set up an SIT to probe allegations of “excess payments” and framed four key issues for investigation: whether compensation paid to landowners exceeded amounts mandated by court rulings; if so, which officials were responsible; whether there was any collusion between beneficiaries and Noida officials; and whether the Authority’s overall functioning lacked transparency, fairness and commitment to public interest.

In its report, the SIT noted that enhanced compensation was paid to landowners in 1,198 cases, including 1,167 where courts had directed it, while in 20 cases it was found to be exorbitant, with officers identified by the SIT in its report.It also said the bank accounts of officials, their family members and landowners must be examined, along with assets acquired during the relevant period. Records dating back over a decade need to be obtained and scrutinised, the SIT said.It also recommended forming a metropolitan corporation and appointing a chief vigilance officer, similar to the system followed in public sector undertakings.While considering the SIT’s report, the Supreme Court bench on Aug 13 last year directed the constitution of a fresh SIT comprising three IPS officers to probe the alleged “collusion” between some land owners and officials of Noida Authority, which led to the former being paid exorbitant compensation for acquired plots at the cost of the exchequer.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi also ordered a probe into former CEOs and senior officials of the Authority over the past 10-15 years. The bench asked UP chief secretary to place the matter before a competent authority and ensure a citizen advisory board for Noida was constituted within four weeks.In Dec, the SC directed the SIT to expedite the investigation and complete the probe within two months.