JAMMU: District Magistrate Sachin Kumar Vaishya has issued an order nullifying a land modification with number 42, dated October 3, 2005, on the grounds that it is unsustainable legally. The applicants Sukhdev Singh, Romesh Singh, and Subash Singh submitted a representation claiming possession of a 48 Kanal 07 Marla plot of land in the village of Paragpura, Tehsil Akhnoor, which led to the order. The petitioners claimed there were inconsistencies in the land records, claiming that even though they had owned the land since March 7, 2002, the documents continued to list the State as the owner and possessor. According to a thorough report by Tehsildar Pargwal that included pertinent revenue documents, the petitioners did, in fact, buy the designated land in 2002.Contrary to the Land Revenue Act, inconsistencies were found in the issuing of the Fard, dated February 11, 2002, which was based on the 1966–67 Jamabandi rather than the most recent one available in 1995–96. After more research, it was discovered that 34 Kanal 06 Marlas of the bought land had been escheated to the State by Mutation No. 24 in accordance with the Agrarian Reform Act of 1976. The District Magistrate called attention to two major infractions: “The illegal issuance of the Fard by revenue officials, violating provisions of the Land Revenue Act” and “The escheatment of the purchased land to the State.” Consequently, the District Magistrate issued an order to revoke Mutation No. 42, which was issued on October 3, 2005, with regard to the part that was escheated to the State. Tehsildar Pargwal was instructed to swiftly enter the order into revenue records and provide a report on the actions performed within a two-day period. In addition, the delinquent officials accountable for the unauthorised Fard issuance must be identified in order to take the necessary follow-up measures.
