Bengaluru: Chief Secretary Arvind Jadhav, who is in the eye of a storm over land deals allegedly entered into by his mother in 2002, could now have more explaining to do.
Fresh documents obtained by Deccan Chronicle through the Right to Information Act reveal that the Jadhav family converted 16 acres of agricultural land in Hegganahalli, Devanahalli to develop an integrated township and sold plots ranging in size from 2,400 sqft to 20,000 sqft to 35 individuals, between 1997 and 2002.
Even more interestingly, the buyers included superstars of the Tamil and Telugu film industries, Rajnikant and Chiranjeevi! While Chiranjeevi bought a plot for his son, Ram Charan Tej, who was a minor then, Shivaji Rao Gaekwad alias Rajnikant registered his property in 1997.
Tracking down the 16- acre plot a few meters from the Yelahanka-Doddaballapur Road in Hegganahalli was not easy. But on reaching it what you saw was not a residential layout but a sprawling resort, the Prakruti Windflower Resort, complete with a clubhouse, swimming pool, party hall, open garden area, an adventure park and some large houses. There were also several empty plots inside the gated community.
The resort is reportedly a favourite with corporates, who use it for team building activities. When DC tried to enquire about the property, the manager refused to give any details claiming he was new to the job and the CEO and MD of Prakruti Windflower Resort, Shashibhushan, was out of station.
Anekal deal subverts Land Revenue Act?
Were provisions of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act violated in the land deal by Chief Secretary, Arvind Jadhav’s mother, Tarabai Marutirao Jadhav in Ramanayakanahalli, Anekal taluk in 2002?
Sources close to those monitoring the case say the grant order dated September 19, 1978 produced by the Special DC, regularises encroachments of 46 persons awarded the gomala land as part of the deal struck by the Jadhavs.
“This order, if it was indeed passed, is illegal as the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 doesn’t allow regularising of encroachers. Under Section 94 of the Act eviction of encroachers is compulsory. It was only in 1991 that section 94 A was inserted by an amendment to regularise encroachers. But even this section clearly prohibits regularising of encroachments within 18 kms of Bengaluru city.
As the Ramanakayanhalli land in question is just two to three kilometers from the city, this amendment too does not allow regularisation of encroachments in this part of Anekal,’’ said sources.
Other sections like 79 A and 79 B of the Act also appear to have been violated as they do not allow those whose annual income is more than Rs 2 lakh from sources other than agriculture to buy farmland in Karnataka. How were the Jadhavs, who clearly don’t qualify, able to buy the Anekal land is the other question begging an answer.
