SRINAGAR: A land sale that appeared routine on paper unraveled into a criminal case alleging forged records, manipulated mutations, and collusion between private actors and revenue officials — exposing vulnerabilities in Kashmir’s land administration system.
A Transaction That Seemed Settled
The case began with what the complainants believed was a straightforward purchase of land in Balhama, on the outskirts of Srinagar. According to investigators, two plots measuring one kanal and seven marlas each, along with an additional parcel of more than 14 marlas, were purchased through registered sale deeds. Possession was handed over, and revenue mutations — the official changes in land ownership records — were duly attested in the buyers’ favour.
For months, the transaction appeared complete. The land had changed hands, official paperwork reflected the new ownership, and the buyers assumed the matter was closed. But beneath the formalities, investigators would later allege, the records were far from secure.
Allegations of Manipulated Records
During the investigation, officials of the Economic Offences Wing alleged that the seller, Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, acted in criminal conspiracy with revenue officials to undo the very records that confirmed the sale. Valid mutations were allegedly cancelled without lawful authority, restoring ownership rights to the seller on paper.
According to the police, this manipulation enabled the resale of the same land to other parties. The alleged scheme, investigators said, caused wrongful loss to the original purchasers while generating unlawful gain for the accused. The case pointed to the fragility of land records, where official attestations long considered definitive could be reversed through internal collusion.
Predated Mutations and Jurisdictional Gaps
Investigators also focused on the timing and legality of the documents involved. They alleged that basic mutations were attested in favour of the land broker on predated documents at a time when the concerned revenue officials were not even posted within the jurisdiction of the relevant tehsil or estate.
Such findings, according to the police, suggested not procedural lapses but deliberate fabrication. The case, officials said, illustrated how postings, backdated paperwork, and access to revenue systems could be exploited to manufacture ownership claims after the fact.
Charges Filed and Officials Named
On December 21, the Jammu and Kashmir Police Crime Branch said it had filed a charge sheet in a high-profile land fraud case before the Court of Special Judge Anti-Corruption. The case, registered under multiple sections related to cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and corruption, named five accused — including four senior revenue officials.
Those identified include Nusrat Aziz, then Tehsildar Settlement, Srinagar; Shahbaz Bodha, then Tehsildar South, Srinagar; Mohd Yaseen Kalla, then Patwari of Estate Balhama; Ashiq Ali, then Patwari Settlement, Srinagar; and Riyaz Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Nowgam. The police said sufficient documentary and official evidence had been collected to substantiate cognisable offences under the law.
