Lawyer alleges Rs 5 lakh bribe demand for land registry; bar association protests inaction

HISAR: The Hisar district bar association staged a strike on Tuesday, demanding strict action against Uklana's Naib Tehsildar and a registry clerk following allegations of a Rs 5 lakh bribe demand made by a local lawyer. Due to the strike, no advocates appeared in court, disrupting proceedings and affecting numerous litigants.

About a week ago, advocate Dushyant Nain, a resident of Litani village of Hisar district, filed a formal complaint with Uklana police station. He alleged that Naib Tehsildar Rahul Rathi and registry clerk Vikram of the Uklana sub-tehsil demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh in exchange for processing a land registration. According to the complaint, when the bribe was not paid, the registration was allegedly denied.

Nain stated that on April 8, he visited the office of the Naib Tehsildar at the scheduled time to register land on behalf of Girdhar Gopal Builder and Developer NNP firm. When his token number was called, registry clerk Jitender pointed out alleged flaws in the paperwork and claimed that the Naib Tehsildar had refused to process the registry.

When Nain and the firm’s partners questioned the decision, they were not given a clear explanation. Shortly thereafter, clerk Jitender reportedly returned from the Naib Tehsildar’s office and demanded Rs 5 lakh to proceed with the registration.

The complaint further alleges that when Nain, along with firm partners Kulbir, Anil, and others, attempted to raise the issue with the Naib Tehsildar directly, they were verbally abused and physically pushed out of the office. The Naib Tehsildar allegedly warned them not to return and claimed he had influential connections within the government. Nain also stated that he was threatened with financial loss if the bribe was not paid, including the cancellation or nullification of stamp duty already purchased for the transaction.

Efforts to contact Naib Tehsildar Rahul Rathi were unsuccessful. He did not respond to calls or a text message sent to his mobile number.

Uklana police station in-charge Amit Kumar confirmed that complaints have been received from both parties. “The advocate has alleged that the registry was denied due to a bribe demand and subsequent abuse, while the Naib Tehsildar has accused the lawyer and his associates of misbehavior,” Kumar said. “Both complaints are under inquiry.”