A case has been filed against Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda and others in the Special Anti-Land Grabbing Court in Bengaluru.
The case pertains to the alleged illegal occupation of government land in Karnataka, with accusations against Pitroda, FRLHT founder Darshan Shankar, and four senior Karnataka Forest Department officials.
The controversy dates back to 1996 when the Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT) obtained a five-hectare plot of reserve forest land in Jarakabande Kaval near Yelahanka.
The Karnataka State Forest Department granted the land on a five-year lease, which was renewed in 2001 for another decade. However, the lease expired in 2011, and the organisation is accused of illegally occupying the land for over 14 years.
The land in question is estimated to be worth over 150 crore rupees, with a market value exceeding 300 crores. Reports suggest that FRLHT has allegedly generated an annual revenue of 5 to 6 crore rupees by selling rare herbal plants grown on the land.
A complaint regarding the alleged land grabbing was lodged with the Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate on 24 February 2025.
Based on the complaint and supporting evidence, a criminal case has now been registered in the Special Court for the Prevention of Land Grabbing in Karnataka.
The charges include unauthorised occupation of government land and possible violations of land lease agreements.
Amid the allegations, Sam Pitroda has strongly denied any involvement in land grabbing or financial misconduct. He has publicly refuted media reports linking him to the case, asserting that he does not own any land, home, or stocks in India.
In a statement shared on social media, Pitroda clarified that during his tenure with the Indian government under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the 1980s and later with Dr Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2014, he never received a salary.
He further stated that he has never engaged in bribery in India or anywhere else in his 83 years of life.
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