Karnal govt land grab case: Haryana constitutes 6th SIT, new team to submit report every 25 days

The information was submitted to the HC on Monday during the resumed hearing of a bail petition moved by one of the accused, namely Prikshit.

Additional Advocate General Deepak Sabharwal also informed the court that directions have been issued to the concerned panchayat, revenue as well as police officials to hand over the entire record of the case to the SIT immediately. Taking note of the submissions, Justice Fateh Deep Singh made it clear to the Haryana police to expedite the probe and take it to a logical conclusion in the interest of justice so that all official and non-official culprits are brought to book.

The court has made it clear that “there might be a situation where this scandal might have its ramifications throughout the state of Haryana, then the SIT shall not desist to probe those aspects as well and it will be within the powers of the SIT to open all such instances of similar nature which it might come across during the course of its investigations”. The court had earlier observed that in spite of names of certain accused having figured during investigation but for a motivated cause to attain nefarious design, the authorities are repeatedly changing the SIT on one pretext or the other.

The court, on November 9, after not being satisfied with Karnal SP Pankaj Nain’s explanation, had summoned DGP KP Singh on November 21 to find out why the state was reticent to proceed with the case that “apparently has political overtones”. It was only then that the police arrested four officials and three persons, who were earlier given clean chit by the SITs.

Kuldeep Singh Dahiya (BDPO Badhdra in Bhiwani, earlier posted at Nilokheri) was arrested on November 19, Ishwar Singh (retired Tehsildar Nilokheri), Dalel Singh (retired Patwari Nilokheri), Karambir (Nilokheri Tehsil registry clerk), advocate Harish Kumar (deed writer), Ishwar Devi (ex-sarpanch of Arjheri village) and Karam Singh of Taroari were arrested on November 15.

It was on the basis of a complaint lodged by Karnal resident Kulwant Singh on February 8, 2013, with Karnal SP that the fraud came to light, but the FIR was registered after over a year on June 3, 2014, against a resident of Peer Sadan Karnal, Ram Parshad, his family members and relatives.

The complainant had submitted that the entire gang, comprising relatives, in connivance with government officials, was getting government plots transferred in their names and by selling them, committed a fraud running into crores.