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State to constitute SIT to probe longstanding land disputes: DKS
Karnataka plans an SIT to investigate land acquisition disputes, identify responsible officials, and reform legal processes amid over 61,000 unresolved cases.
The Karnataka government is preparing a fresh inquiry into long-running land acquisition disputes that have accumulated across multiple departments, with deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar announcing that a special investigation team (SIT) will be set up to examine irregularities and identify officials and lawyers who may have contributed to delays and financial losses.
Speaking after a review at Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar said on Saturday that the state had little choice but to intervene directly, given the volume of unresolved cases and the potential burden on the treasury. “We are forming an SIT to investigate irregularities in land acquisition for the Irrigation and Bengaluru Development departments. The guilty officials will be suspended,” he said.
Shivakumar said about 61,843 disputes related to various Irrigation agencies were still pending. According to him, delays were caused by officials and members of the legal team who had not filed applications when required. “Revenue Department has ordered an investigation in Bengaluru city jurisdiction, and it has been found that officials and the legal team have wasted time by not filing applications at the right time. We have asked for a report regarding this. The SIT will investigate irregularities pertaining to this and initiate action against officials and lawyers concerned,” he said.
Shivakumar said 219 lawyers were currently engaged in handling land cases. “We will remove all those lawyers who are not responsible and appoint new ones. This is a historic decision to save the face of the department,” he said.
He said the government was considering an alternative mechanism for resolving disputes. “Under the new regulations, there is a provision for an authority under a retired judge. This Authority can resolve land acquisition cases outside the judicial system. We will take a decision on the formation of the Authority at the government level,” he said.
The deputy chief minister described irregularities that placed the state at a disadvantage. He pointed to instances where the Irrigation department estimated compensation at ₹9 lakh but ended up facing court-mandated orders of ₹9 crore. “These disputes are being handled without making these corporations a party to it,” he said.
“We have decided to form a separate unit to review the cases and also to record the arguments of government lawyers. This will fix accountability to the lawyers arguing the case. We will do similar things in BDA and GBA jurisdictions as well,” he said.
“A special team has been put in place and a report will be submitted within next 10-15 days. If there is a need, an SIT will be formed after that for a comprehensive investigation,” he said.
