Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena has granted permission for Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) inquiry against three officials of Revenue Department of the Delhi government under Section 17A of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

The approval for investigation was accorded against DC Sahoo, ex-Sub-Registrar, Ramesh Kumar, ex-Kanungo, and Anil Kumar, ex-Tehsildar, all previously associated with the Hauz Khas, south district of the Revenue Department, the LG office said on Thursday.

“The matter pertains to the alleged sale of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) land to private individuals by issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Land bearing Khasra No 351 was acquired by the DDA in 1965. In 2019, Bala Devi filed an application with the SDM, Hauz Khas, seeking demarcation of Khasra No 351,” it said.

The LG office said after demarcation by Revenue officials out of a total area of 44 Bigha and 19 Biswa, a piece of land measuring 1 Bigha and 5 Biswa was demarcated as private land. However, during a court case in the matter, DDA took a contrary stance and informed that there was illegal construction on its land, which was demolished and the authority had taken possession of the land.

“Despite revenue records clearly indicating that the land belonged to the government (DDA), officials from the south district, Revenue Department issued an NOC to Devi. Subsequently, the then Sub-Registrar, DC Sahoo, went on to register the sale deed of the acquired land. This alleged act of cheating and fraud resulted in wrongful revenue loss to the government,” it said.

The LG office said since there was inordinate delay in processing of these cases by the Vigilance Department, officers of the Vigilance Department dealing with cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act have been instructed to strictly adhere to the timelines stipulated in the Act and avoid delays in sensitive matters.

Notably, since assuming the office, LG Saxena has taken a strong stance against corruption and has recommended strict action against delinquent officials involved in corruption cases related to various departments of the Delhi government, including Excise, Revenue, GST, PWD, Hospitals, Education, and others.