Palampur, September 16: In a worrying case of land fraud in Himachal Pradesh, a non-Himachali named Danish has acquired land using a fake farmer certificate. The certificate mentions him as the son of a local Himachali, which was issued by the patwari without proper verification. The authorities have cancelled the certificate, stopped the mutation process and issued a show cause notice to the concerned patwari.9.LO
Under Section 118 of the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act, non-Himachalis have to take government permission before buying land in the state. However, Danish circumvented this legal requirement by obtaining a farmer certificate fraudulently as the son of Anwar, a local resident of Himachal Pradesh. The sale deed for the land was registered by Naib Tehsildar Bhavarna on April 16, 2024. Anwar, whose name was misused, lodged a complaint that his Krishak Certificate was used without his knowledge. Anwar has said that he has two daughters and no son, thereby exposing the fraud behind the certificate.
Following the complaint, SDM Palampur, Netra Maity, initiated an inquiry to find out how Danish obtained the fake certificate. Maity said, “The Kisan Certificate has been cancelled, and the mutation process has been stopped. A show cause notice is being issued to the Patwari responsible for issuing the fake certificate.” The SDM further said that if the investigation reveals negligence or deliberate fraud, a police complaint will be lodged against both Danish and the Patwari.
The case has raised serious questions over the integrity of the Revenue Department, as it highlights lapses in verifying crucial documents before land transactions. The incident has also drawn attention to the possibility of misuse of Section 118, which aims to protect Himachal’s land resources from being acquired by non-residents without proper scrutiny.
Further investigation is underway to determine on what basis the farmer certificate was issued. If fraud is confirmed, the case will be referred to the Deputy Commissioner for further action under the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act. Legal action against the concerned parties is expected after the investigation is completed.
The case has exposed vulnerabilities in land registration processes and prompted authorities to consider strict enforcement of verification protocols to prevent future incidents. The outcome of this investigation could lead to significant improvements in the way land purchases by non-residents are monitored and approved in the state.
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