2 former govt officials among 5 held guilty in 2007 land fraud case

The racket involving a government scheme, which targeted plots in west Delhi’s Savda Ghevra area meant for resettling eligible slum dwellers

A Delhi court has convicted two former government officials and three accomplices in a 2007 racket involving the fraudulent allotment of 26 plots meant for slum dwellers by using forged documents and signatures.

The racket was unearthed following an investigation started by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2007. (Representational image)

Special CBI judge Gaurav Rao delivered the 500-page judgment on December 17, sentencing Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) official, Atul Vashisht, former deputy secretary in the Delhi Vidhan Sabha, Lal Mani, to four years of imprisonment. Their three accomplices – Surjeet Singh, Mohan Lal, and Vijay Kumar – received two-year terms.

The court found that Vashisht exploited his position in MCD to prepare fictitious documents, while Mani, who was implicated in several similar cases, created fake ration cards and forged sales documents to facilitate the illegal allotments. Vijay Kumar was found guilty of forging additional sale documents, while Mohan Lal’s residence was identified as the location where key evidence, including the draw list and allotment parchis, was recovered.

The racket involving a government scheme, which targeted plots in west Delhi’s Savda Ghevra area meant for resettling eligible slum dwellers, was unearthed following an investigation started by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2007.

The prosecution presented testimonies from 52 witnesses, including officials from MCD, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), and slum dwellers. Witnesses testified that provisional identification slips (PIS) bearing their names and signatures were fabricated. These slips lacked thumb impressions, and the addresses listed were not theirs.

The court noted irregularities in the orders issued by the MCD’s slum and JJ departments to constitute a draw committee. Two orders contained discrepancies, including differences in font styles and altered numbers, suggesting forgery. The committee’s quorum was suspiciously reduced from five to two, raising doubts about the integrity of the draw process. The court also questioned why a manual draw was conducted instead of a computerised one. A manual draw, the court said, allowed the accused to manipulate the process.

“The draw was held in a fraudulent manner to benefit ineligible JJ dwellers,” held the court. Of the 26 plots, 17 had already been allocated in previous years (1999 and 2004), five recipients were ineligible as per the eligibility criteria, and the remaining four lacked any valid documentation.

The judgment condemned the systematic misuse of public resources intended for legitimate beneficiaries, stating that the conspiracy’s ultimate goal was to sell the fraudulently allotted plots.

The court stated, “The draw process was manipulated from start to finish, with the ultimate objective of selling the fraudulently allotted plots.”