Ex-minister booked in connection with alleged land fraud

Senior Congress leader and former Jammu and Kashmir minister Taj Mohiuddin was today booked in an alleged land scam case, with State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) claiming that revenue records were "tampered with" and "fake records" prepared to benefit him.
Some officials of the Revenue Department were also booked along with Mohiuddin, who had served as a Minister in the coalition government led by late PDP leader Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed in 2002 and then in the government of National Conference leader Omar Abdulh in 2009.
Mohiuddin termed it as "witch-hunting" and said he will fight it out in the court.
An FIR was registered under various sections of Jammu and Kashmir P.C and Ranbir Penal Code in Police Station Vigilance Organisation Kashmir "against Revenue official Atiqullah Shah of Chimar Noorabad Kulgam and other officers, officials of Revenue Department and thebeneficiary Taj Mohiuddin, son of Khuda Baksh of Batamaloo, Srinagar," SVO said in a statement.

It said a verification was conducted by the Vigilance Organisation on the basis of news report.
"The verification has established that the accused officers and officials of Revenue Department, in order to confer undue benefit upon the beneficiary Taj Mohiuddin, have illegally made insertions, corrections tampering in revenue records, thus prepared fake fictitious record," the SVO said.

"They paved the way for the beneficiary Taj Mohiuddin S/o Khuda Baksh R/o Batamaloo Srinagar to encroach the adjacent forest land illegally under garb of section 4, 8 and 21 of Agrarian Reforms act, 1976," the SVO added.
"The verification has also revealed that in order to extend illegal benefit upon beneficiary Taj Mohiuddin, the Khasra No. For land measuring 18 Kanals and 02 marlas was inserted fraudulently in the mutationNo.614/1 dated 26.06.1991 with no mention of receipt of levy its number and date of deposit if any," the organisation said. "The said fraudulent entry was not authenticated and encircled by mutating authority but later on inserted and making further correction and over writings on various survey Nos and the total quantum of land at the foot note of the said mutation No. 614/1," the SVO said.

Reacting to the development, Mohiuddin said, "Let them investigate. By registration of an FIR, it does not prove I have committed the offence."
Describing the filing of the case as "witch-hunting", he said "We will contest it in the court of law".
The Congress leader said, "I am in possession of this land since 1971. There was a complaint about forest land, but it proved to be wrong. It is revenue land. I have purchased it from a person, who has now died. There is no complaint.