Tarn Taran panchayat land dispute: Harvest wheat, but deposit sale proceeds with govt, HC to 7 private cultivators

In case of emergency, these private respondents shall be at liberty to approach the divisional deputy director for release of funds against proper security, the court added

In a case of alleged usurpation of 196 acre of panchayat land through a lease procured at low rates by seven private cultivators at Gaggrewal village in Tarn Taran district, the Punjab and Haryana high court has directed that they can harvest the wheat crop. The bench of Justice Jitendra Chauhan and justice Vivek Puri, however, has ordered that proceeds of the sale of this crop be deposited with Jalandhar divisional deputy director of rural and panchayat department. In case of emergency, these private respondents shall be at liberty to approach the divisional deputy director for release of funds against proper security, the court added.

The panchayat filed a case for cancellation of two leases of 196 acre of panchayat land executed in 2015 and 2017 (HT file)

The Gaggrewal panchayat had approached the high court through its counsel RK Grewal seeking cancellation of these land deeds and to seek an order restraining these private land cultivators from harvesting the crop. Their plea had added that the Jalandhar divisional deputy director had cancelled the land deeds; they had also challenged the order of the director of rural and panchayat department.

The panchayat filed a case for cancellation of two leases of 196 acre of panchayat land executed in 2015 and 2017 with the Jalandhar divisional deputy director, Jagwinderjit Singh Sandhu, for violation of Village Common Land (Regulations) Acts 1961. In October 2020, Sandhu quashed the two leases. The private landowners appealed and the commissioner, panchayat lands, ordered that the 2015 lease shall continue till its term, while the 2017 lease was quashed.

After this, the panchayat moved the high court. “Private cultivators have usurped 196 acre of panchayat land for a very meagre amount of less than ₹5,000 per acre whereas prevailing actual approximate rate of lease of similar land in Gaggrewal or surrounding areas is over ₹30,000 per acre, which comes out to about ₹60 lakh. Private cultivators have caused a huge loss to gram panchayat,” the panchayat’s plea said, adding, “The panchayat urges the court to stay the order passed by commissioner panchayat lands till pendency of matter.”

Deputy director writes to

BDPO for implementation

On Friday, divisional deputy director Sandhu, has written a letter to Khadoor Sahib BDPO for the implementation of court order in the case. “Keep vigil on the crop and the money after its sale should be deposited in the divisional deputy director account immediately after the harvesting of the crop. If police assistance is required, it will be taken at your level on the basis of court order,” the letter says. It adds that if the high court’s orders are not followed, then the BDPO’s responsibility will also be fixed, along with action against the private cultivators.