Uttarakhand govt seizes land owned by UP strongman Raja Bhaiya's wife

The Uttarakhand government has taken possession of more than half a hectare of agricultural land registered in the name of Uttar Pradesh MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiya's wife in Nainital district as it was not being used for its sanctioned purpose, officials said.

In the presence of local public representatives and villagers on Friday, Patwari (revenue official) Ravi Pandey carried out the formalities of taking possession of the land under Section 167 of the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 1950 as it was in violation of section 154 (4) (3) (b) of the ZALR (amendment) Act, Kainchi Dham SDM Vipin Chandra Pant said.

Section 154 (4) (3) (b) of the ZALR (amendment) Act requires the land to be used for its sanctioned purpose within two years after being bought, the official said.

"However, for a long time, no farming-related work of any kind was being done on this land, Pant said.

Raja Bhaiya's and his wife Bhanvi Singh are believed to be living separately now.

Located in Betalghat block of Nainital district, the land measuring 27.5 nali (which is more than half a hectare) was bought 17 years ago in Siltona village by the MLA in the name of his wife from a local resident named Anand Ballabh, he said. One nali of land is equivalent to approximately 2,500 square feet.

After the revenue department initiated the proceedings to seize the land, Bhanvi Singh challenged the legality of the action in the commissioner's court and the board of revenue but her appeal was turned down. It was then seized by the state government.

The step is believed to have been taken in keeping with the Uttarakhand government's decision to bring strong land laws in the state.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had recently said at a press conference in Dehradun that strict land laws will soon be brought in the state, possibly by the next assembly session to prevent people from buying limitless land and preparing land banks in the state.

He had specifically said that land not being used by buyers for the purpose stated at the time of buying will be taken back by the state government. A list of such pieces of land was being prepared, he said.

During a recent visit to Kumaon, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi had conveyed to officials the chief minister's decision and asked them to look into land deals in their areas made for one purpose and used for others.

The action against Raja Bhaiya follows less than a week after the chief secretary's visit to the region.

Raghuraj Pratap Singh is known to be a strongman representing the Kunda seat in the UP Assembly as an MLA of Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik).