FIR against former MLA, 3 ex-councillors in Sitapur

Lucknow: An FIR was registered against former municipal chairman and ex-MLA Radheshyam Jaiswal and three former councillors in connection with the alleged irregular allotment of land for a Samajwadi Party office within the Town Hall premises in Sitapur.The action was taken late Wednesday following directions from the district administration. The complaint was lodged by property clerk Rakesh Kumar Mishra of the Sitapur Municipal Council at Kotwali police station. According to the complaint, a portion of Nazul land bearing plot number 1437, in the Civil Lines area, was occupied by the Samajwadi Party. Records indicate that in 2005, then councillors Mahendra Sinha, Mujib Ahmad and Kunti Kashyap proposed the permanent allotment of the land for the party office. The proposal was placed before the municipal board by the then chairman and MLA Radheshyam Jaiswal on Jan 14, 2005. Subsequently, on Jan 15, 2005, the board approved the allotment of around 3,000 sqft of land in the Town Hall residential premises to the party office at an annual lease rent of Rs 100. Officials said an inquiry conducted on March 9, 2026, found irregularities in the allotment process. Based on the inquiry report, the DM ordered the registration of the FIR. Municipal authorities said the property is classified as Nazul land owned by the govt. They added that although the allotment was initially approved in Jan 2005, it was cancelled on May 14, 2005, due to non-compliance with prescribed norms. Despite the cancellation, the SP office continued to function from there. In a notice issued earlier by the municipal administration, the office was described as an encroachment. Sitapur Kotwali inspector Anoop Shukla said the case was registered under sections 318(4) (cheating), 324(3) (mischief causing damage), 329(3) (house-trespass or house-breaking), 338 (forgery of a valuable security, will) and 336 (forgery) of the BNS against Jaiswal, Sinha, Ahmad and Kashyap.