A major scam has surfaced in Dharamsala involving the illegal transfer and execution of sale deeds of a key commercial property owned by the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board.
After receiving directions from the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Tribunal, Dharamsala police have filed an FIR after the Tribunal cancelled the illegal gift and sale deeds and ordered criminal action against those involved in grabbing the land.
As per official records, during 2005–06, land bearing Khasra numbers 2550, 2551 and 2551 (1), measuring 156.86 sq metres and situated in the Up Mohal area of Dharamsala, was registered in the ownership of the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board according to jamabandi entries.
On April 1, 2007, the Waqf Board leased the property to a local resident, Kanwar Pal Singh, at a monthly rent of Rs 3,500. Later, on October 18, 2007, he was allowed to construct a three-storey building on the leased land. However, under the lease agreement and no-objection certificate, ownership of both the land and the structure stayed with the Waqf Board.
In spite of this, on January 2, 2013, Kanwar Pal Singh executed a gift deed of the first floor of the building in favour of his wife. Later, in May 2014, the couple sold part of the land and executed two registered sale deeds of built shops on the ground and first floors, measuring 88.94 square metres and 92.74 square metres, respectively. Revenue records were also changed based on these sale deeds.
Later, on May 20, 2014, they executed a mortgage deed in favour of Punjab National Bank for Rs 70 lakh by mortgaging Shop No. 2 situated on the ground floor of the building.
When the Waqf Board learnt about these transactions, it approached the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Tribunal in 2015, and demanded declaration and injunction against the sale deeds, mortgage deed and related revenue entries.
The panel recently declared all the sale deeds, mortgage deed and revenue entries illegal, null and void, and not binding on the rights of the Waqf Board. It also ordered the SHO of Dharamsala police station to register an FIR against the tenant, the Sub-Registrar concerned and other officials for their alleged role in the illegal registration of documents.
Responding to the development, Additional Superintendent of Police Bir Bahadur said an FIR has been registered under Sections 420, 166(A) and 120-B of the IPC against the tenant, his wife, the Sub-Registrar concerned and others. He added that probe is underway.
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