HC reserves verdict in ex-dy collector’s case

Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of Bombay high court on Tuesday reserved judgment in the case of former deputy collector

SG Gautam

, who was competent authority when the scam related to illegal allotment under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976, took place.

The case was listed before the division bench comprising justices Pradip Deshmukh and Zaka Haq who tersely noted that there was no enquiry against other officers related to the scam and, therefore, questioned the authenticity of the probe.

HC was hearing a plea by ex-MLA Sunil Shinde through Anand Parchure alleging that allotment of surplus land under ULCA was done in an arbitrary manner. The HC found Gautam and another ex-deputy collector EZ Khobragade prima facie guilty of illegally allotting surplus lands to influential persons and politicians without following due procedure on March 15 last year.

Even Justice RK Batta Commission indicted them for blatant abuse of power, flagrant breach of ULC norms and government guidelines, and for favouring influential politicians. The judges observed that there was clear collusion between the officials and allottees when the lands were distributed.

It was brought to the court’s notice that departmental enquiry against the duo was instituted in 2012 and completed in 2016 but no action was taken against them till date. The government only stopped Gautam’s two increments, which was then challenged in HC.

Gautam moved HC through senior counsel Surendra Kumar Mishra and Kaustubh Devgade, claiming that only he and Khobragade were indicted by the panel even though a large number of other officers also worked in ULC offices.

(Reporting by Ritika Gupta)