The Yavatmal District Deputy Registrar has cancelled the sale deeds of four farmers who had registered their land in the name of unauthorised private money lenders to obtain a loan from them.
The money lenders allegedly refused to return the land and did not cancel the sale deeds even after the farmers repaid their loan and interest, a senior district administration official said.
The sale deeds of the four farmers, three of whom belong to the tehsil of Darwha - a part of the Assembly constituency of the District Guardian Minister Sanjay Rathod, were cancelled yesterday by District Deputy Registrar Archana Malve.
Malve said, the farmers, whose land was registered in the name of the unauthorised private money lenders against the loan obtained from them, have been identified as Sarita Mahadeo Dhote, a resident of Irthad village, Namdeo Ramkrishna Raut, a resident of Seludi village and Darasingh Chavan, a resident of Mirase Khopdi village, all of Darwha tehsil, and Rajaram Tukaram Bhalge, a resident of Bittergaon village of Umarkhed tehsil.
The farmers had taken loans from private money lenders operating in their respective areas and handed over their agricultural land by way of registered sale deeds, executed in the name of the money lenders, she said.
The assurance given was that their land would be returned and the sale deeds would be cancelled on the repayment of the loan, with interest rate ranging from 24 per cent to 30 per cent, along with compensatory interest.
The official said, however, the lenders refused to return the land and did not cancel the sale deeds even after the repayment of loan and interest by the loan-availing farmers.
Following which, the aggrieved farmers lodged complaints with the office of the District Deputy Registrar, under whose jurisdiction the granting of licences for money lending is entrusted.
Investigation proved that the money lenders had usurped the agricultural land on lame grounds and refused to return them even after the repayment of loan by the farmers, she said.
Malve took up the issue in the review meeting held under the chairmanship of the District Collector Sachindra Pratap Singh on Monday and got the nod for cancelling the sale deeds. Accordingly, the four sale deeds stand cancelled.
"We took action under Section 8 of Money Lenders Act against the four money lenders so far and six FIRs have also been registered against the illegal money lenders in the district," Malve said.
Some of the private money lenders have even approached the court against the action, she added.
According to Malve, 15 cases are presently under investigation and a total of 143 complaints have been received from the farmers against the private money lenders, who have added to the farmers' woes.
When asked about the number of licensed money lenders, she said a total of 101 licences have been granted in the district but there may be more unauthorised private money lenders than the licensed ones.
