Rajasthan HC orders status quo on land allotted to BJP for office in Sirohi

The Rajasthan High Court ordered status quo on a petition challenging land allotment for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Sirohi district.

Leader of opposition in the Sirohi Municipal Council Ishwar Singh Dabhi filed the petition, saying the state government, district collector and the municipal body allotted 2,000 square metres of land for the BJP office in November last year in violation of rules.

Justice Sandeep Mehta issued notices on Monday to the public works department, department of local self-government, district collector, municipal commissioner and BJP national president Amit Shah, and sought their reply by May 18.

The petitioner’s counsel, Sandeep Shah, said the BJP violated rules in the allotment of land.

“Lumba Ram Choudhary, Sirohi district BJP president on February 6, 2016 submitted an application to district collector stating that his party has office in all districts but does not have an office or land allotted to his party in Sirohi and considering this fact, BJP national president Amit Shah has expressed his displeasure,” the petitioner said, alleging that pressure was put on officials in the name of the national president’s resentment.

“The land measuring 2000 square metres was portrayed as barren land in khasra no. 2709 whereas the land was owned by the public works department and was valued at Rs 50 crore, as per the letter issued by the district collector, Sirohi on January 19, 2017, but in spite of this, the land was allotted at much lower price,” Sandeep Shah said.

“The land was owned by the PWD, which initially expressed its requirement for the same so as to expand its installations, but the higher officials ignored it.”

Shah said the Sirohi Municipal Council invited objections regarding change of land use and allotment of land, and the petitioner and other persons filed objections. Without deciding on the objections, he said, sanction was given for issuance of the patta of the disputed land in favour of the BJP purportedly under the State Grants Act.

The municipal body, the petitioner said, has no powers to allot land under the State Grants Act and the allotment could only be made through auction under the Rajasthan Municipalities (Disposal of Urban Land) Rules, 1974.

The petitioner claimed that the state government and the municipal body gave “valuable government land to the BJP at a throwaway price.”