Revenue official who executed sale deed suspended

SALE DEED FOR 24 ACRE PRIME LAND WAS REGISTERED BY THE WAZIRABAD NAIB TEHSILDAR, IN DECEMBER 2020 FOR MERELY ₹55CR

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government on Friday placed naib tehsildar (sub-registrar) of Wazirabad in Gurugram, Rajesh Kumar, under suspension for allegedly executing a sale deed for 24 acre prime land owned by Yoga Guru Dhirendra Brahamchari’s Aparna Ashram Society without doing due diligence.

The sale deed for 24 acre prime land in Silokhra of Gurugram was registered by the Wazirabad naib tehsildar, in December 2020 for merely Rs 55 crore.

After a red flag was raised by the legal representative of the ashram, Surya Prakash, an inquiry was ordered by the state government. It was found in the inquiry that not only the land was sold by members of the society to four companies at a highly undervalued price, but the sale deed was also executed manually by skipping the electronic appointment process.

“On the basis of a memorandum of understanding for reaching at an agreed price, it is beyond doubt that the agreed price of the land of Aparna Ashram was Rs 12 crore per acre which worked out to be Rs 288 crore for 24 acre. Hence, the sale deed of Rs 55 crore is grossly undervalued,” said a communication sent by revenue department to Gurugram deputy commissioner.

Naib tehsildar Rajesh Kumar, in his defence, had said during the inquiry that on December 16, 2020, the then deputy commissioner (DC) had sent a written communication ordering Kumar to execute the sale deed manually by skipping electronic appointment.

Kumar added that a subsequent December 23 communication sent by the then DC asking him to hold back manual registration of the sale deed was never received by him.

After the controversy broke out, the then DC had set aside the registration deed, but the order was challenged by one of the buyers of the ashram land in the Punjab and Haryana high court on grounds that the order lacked jurisdiction.

The HC, on January 28, stayed proceedings before the Wazirabad naib tehsildar pertaining to cancellation of the sale deed.