Talathi & circle officer blocked mutation plea, - lapses followed

PUNE: The Mundhwa land inquiry report by the Vikas Kharge-led panel has revealed that ground level revenue officials, including the talathi and circle officer, initially flagged the irregularities in the controversial sale and blocked the mutation in their records, but procedural lapses and failure to inform higher authorities later weakened scrutiny. According to the report, nearly 45 acres of govt land on survey no. 88 in Mundhwa was registered on May 20, 2005 at Haveli sub-registrar office in the name of Amadea Enterprises LLP for Rs 300 crore, covering 17 hectares of the parcel. On May 21, 2005, the firm's partner Digvijay Amarsinh Patil applied through the Mundhwa talathi for mutation in their 7/12 extract. The talathi flagged the document as a double entry and noted that the 7/12 extract was closed. KHARGE PANEL A letter on May 28, 2005 informed the firm that the mutation could not be carried out, with communication through Pune city tehsildar's office due to incomplete address details. The Yerawada circle officer also reported on July 15, 2005 that the title record was closed and could not be entered in the computerised system. However, then tehsildar Suryakant Yewale failed to inform the district collector, which the committee termed neglect of govt duty.

The report further noted that on May 26, 2005, Amadea sought eviction of Botanical Survey of India, claiming expiry of its Oct 4, 1973 lease. A notice on June 9, 2005 was issued to BSI seeking action on possession. The Kharge panel termed this improper, stressing that the tehsildar should have consulted the collector and verified the legal status. It also cited a Sept 6, 2013 revenue minister's order noting removal of the land from vatan category, adding complexity to the legal status.