Raja Mehmoodabad’s lawyer to challenge ADM’s order

LUCKNOW: The lawyer representing Mohammed Amir Mohammed Khan aka Raja Mehmoodabad on Monday said he would challenge the order passed by the Lucknow additional district magistrate (administration) for confiscating Raja’s properties worth over Rs 400 crore in three districts of UP.

“It’s purely an ex parte order and certainly we would be challenging it before a court of law,” said Niraj Gupta, lawyer of Khan. In its judgment in the 13-yearlong legal battle, the ADM’s court had rejected the claim of Raja Mehmoodabad over 422hectare of land spread across Sitapur, Barabanki and Lakhimpur districts and had directed to seize the properties estimated at over Rs 400 crore.

According to the verdict, 38,8301 hectares of land in 179 villages of Sitapur, 10,659 hectares of land in around 30 villages of Lakhimpur Kheri and 23,045 hectares in around 20 villages of Barabanki would be confiscated.

“The party has every right to challenge the judgment. Of the total estimated cost of the property, the cost of the property in Sitapur alone is estimated at over Rs 350 crore,” said Amarpal Singh, ADM (administration).

Khan’s lawyer Niraj Gupta further said it was an old matter for which they were not informed about the legal proceedings.

“Our lawyer, who was handling the case, died a few years back. We were not informed even once about the proceedings. Neither were we present in the court at the time when the judgment was passed. It’s purely a one-sided judgment that we will challenge,” he said.

The legal battle was first initiated in 2007 when it was found that the land claimed by Raja Mehmoodabad was more than the prescribed limit as mentioned in the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act 1976.