Haridwar land scam: Civic body to move court to cancel sale deed

Haridwar: The Haridwar Municipal Corporation (HMC) said on Wednesday that it plans to initiate legal proceedings to cancel the sale deed of a 2.3-hectare plot it had purchased near a garbage dumping site in Sarai village following a change in land's use from agricultural to commercial, inflating its value considerably, leading to a land scam in which several govt officials were allegedly complicit. HMC officials met newly- appointed district magistrate (DM) Mayur Dixit on Wednesday and are now seeking legal advice from the district govt counsel.

"We discussed the matter with the DM and are consulting the district govt counsel for legal advice. The sellers' bank accounts have been frozen so far. If necessary, we will move the civil court to cancel the sale deed," Haridwar municipal commissioner Nandan Kumar told TOI.

DM Dixit added, "A meeting is scheduled on Friday to discuss the matter further. Action will be taken accordingly."

District govt counsel (revenue) Vijay Pal Singh said, "A sale deed can be canceled either by mutual consent or by filing a suit in civil court. In this case, a suit will be filed in the senior division civil court. The process takes time, and the aggrieved party can appeal to the high court after the civil court proceedings."

Following recommendations by a probe committee, Haridwar district magistrate Karmendra Singh, formerly the HMC administrator, was suspended by the govt on Tuesday, along with IAS officer Varun Chaudhary, who was municipal commissioner when the deal happened. SDM Haridwar Ajayveer Singh, a PCS officer, senior finance officer Nikita Bisht, senior personal assistant Vicky, registrar kanungo Rajesh Kumar and chief administrative officer of Haridwar tehsil Kamaldas were also suspended.

The roots of the alleged scam date back to Sept 2024, when farmers from Sarai village approached HMC with a proposal to sell their land, citing its proximity to the garbage dump and unsuitability for agriculture. The proposal was swiftly approved by the then-SDM, and by Nov 2024, the land was purchased by the municipal corporation. The transaction was finalised through three separate registries, with the land sold by Jitendra Kumar, his wife Suman Devi and his brother Dhanpal Singh. Following the launch of an official inquiry in May, the administration froze the sellers' bank accounts. Dhanpal died during the probe.

Investigation revealed that the use of the land was hurriedly changed from agricultural to commercial just before the sale, causing the circle rate to spike from Rs 6,000 per sqm to Rs 25,000 per sqm. This inflated price was allegedly facilitated by govt officials involved in the deal in exchange for kickbacks from farmers.

Meanwhile, social activists have demanded urgent registration of an FIR in the matter. Activist JP Badoni told TOI, "The matter should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation and an FIR must be registered immediately. The farmers should be questioned to identify the main conspirators behind the scam."