Delhi LG recommends suspension of government officer for illegal sale of public land
Jul 15, 2022
New Delhi [India], July 15 : In yet another incident of irregularity concerning the illegal sale or transfer of government land worth crores of rupees in North Delhi, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved the initiation of major penalty proceedings and recommended to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the suspension of Nitin Jindal (DANICS), then ADM (North) under the revenue department of the Government of Delhi, sources said on Friday.
Saxena has been laying stress on complete probity in public dealings and "Zero Tolerance" to corruption.
Jindal has been charged with illegally transferring the forest department land located in village Zindpur under North District to private individuals in March 2021.
The Directorate of Vigilance, prima facie, found "grave misconduct" by the concerned officer, who willfully ignored established ownership of the land with the forest department, upheld time and again by different orders of the Financial Commissioner as well as the High Court and transferred the said land illegally on the basis of a much inferior additional district judge (ADJ) court for extraneous considerations, the sources said.
Jindal faces the charges of "receiving huge pecuniary benefits" by "abusing his official powers" in illegally and blatantly transferring the said land, which is valued worth crores of rupees.
The matter pertains to the admission of an appeal under the Delhi Land Reforms (DLR) Act 1954, after 31 years. The appeal was initially being heard by the DM/Collector (North) being the appellate authority, but for some reason, Jindal, the then ADM (North) started hearing the matter with effect from February 2021, without any jurisdiction in the matter and thus violating the DLR Act.
While the DM/Collector (North), in his previous hearings, had already noted that the said piece of land belonged to the forest department; the Delhi High Court vide judgement dated 23/01/2012 had also ruled that the land in question is forest land and was to be maintained green. By ignoring the HC order, Jindal has also committed contempt of the High Court.
Taking strict note of the "grave misconduct", the LG has recommended the suspension proceedings to MHA, which is the competent authority in the case apart from approving major penalty proceedings against him.
Sources said the present case is a part of the "land scam" unearthed in the national capital which has already resulted in the suspension of 5 officers - an ADM, two SDMs, a sub-registrar and a deputy secretary posted in the Delhi Chief Minister's Office. These officers were suspended on the instructions of the LG last month.
