Probe 15-year land compensation graft charges in Noida: SC to SIT

As per the SC order issued on November 24, the state-level SIT will the probe the cases and submit the report within a month’s time

The Uttar Pradesh government-appointed special investigation team (SIT) will probe into the corruption allegations in the land compensation distribution to farmers in the last 15 years in Noida following the Supreme Court’s direction in the case.

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As per the SC order issued on November 24, the state-level SIT will the probe the cases and submit the report within a month’s time.

SC has also directed the state government and the Noida Authority to provide details of any departmental actions, if initiated, against any officers prima facie found involved in irregular or illegal release of compensation. The relief is given against a farmer’s land that has been acquired for the planned development of the city in the last 15 years.

“Earlier too, it was the state-level SIT that conducted a probe into one such case,” said Lokesh M, chief executive officer of the Noida Authority.

The three-judge SC bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed dissatisfaction with a report submitted by the SIT or the “fact-finding committee” that was formed after the apex court’s earlier order.

SC’s order to probe into all the cases in the last 15 years came after it found out that the officials reported irregularities in just one case and that they did not probe the matter sincerely, people aware of the matter said.

“Despite categoric observations made by this Court on September 14, 2023, the so-called fact finding report revolves around only one case of release of an excess compensation… It is obvious from the report that the Committee comprising senior officers did not even care to understand the scope and import of the orders passed by this Court and no effort has been made to find out whether compensation in other heavy acquisition matters was paid in accordance with law and strictly in terms of the Court orders,” stated the court order.

On September 14, the SC while directing the state government to probe the matter has stated that it seemed that the reported case was not the sole instance and there could be numerous cases in which the Noida Authority had paid compensation to the landowners, without any entitlement in law, prima facie for extraneous considerations.

“Prima facie, the entire Noida (Authority) setup appears to be involved. In such circumstances, it appears necessary to refer the matter to an independent agency for a deeper probe to uncover the truth,” the SC had stated.

The SC will next hear this case on January 17, 2024 and before the hearing the SIT needs to submit their report.

The SC was hearing a bail plea filed by a Noida Authority legal officer against whom an FIR was registered at Noida Sector 20 police station in 2021 for cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The charges pertained to approving files fraudulently for a person to obtain compensation for land acquisition.

An FIR was filed against legal advisor Dinesh Kumar Singh, assistant legal officer Virendra Singh Nagar, and one Ramvati, allegedly involved in obtaining an unauthorized compensation payment of ₹7.26 crore.

Nagar filed a bail plea in SC in January 2023 after the Allahabad High Court dismissed his bail application in the same month. The HC observed that Nagar allegedly caused wrongful loss to the Noida Authority and wrongful gain to himself and the farmers in question.

During the course of the hearings, while staying Nagar’s arrest, the SC observed that this case was not isolated, indicating numerous potential instances where the Noida Authority might have made compensation payments without legal entitlement.

During the previous hearing in October 2023, the additional advocate general representing the Uttar Pradesh government informed the SC about a committee, including an additional director-general of police (ADGP) officer, from the Meerut Zone, formed to investigate cases where the Noida Authority might have improperly paid compensation in collusion with officers and beneficiaries.

The SC noted that though named as an ‘SIT,’ it seemed more akin to a fact-finding committee. The court expressed its inclination to transfer the case to an independent body for a fairer investigation following the committee’s report.

Following the SC’s order, the SIT visited the Noida Authority office in October, 2023 and collected files pertaining to the case. The two officials have been accused of claiming compensation of over ₹90 crore in 11 other instances using a similar modus operandi.