GURUGRAM: Nineteen people, including the Manesar station house officer (SHO), 12 government officials and six developers, have been booked in an alleged stamp duty evasion case at Sihi village in Manesar. The SHO had allegedly failed to file an FIR in the case.
This is the second time in less than a year that the sessions court has had to step in and order an FIR in a case involving stamp duty evasion, also at Sihi village.
The sessions court under Justice SK Sharma on Saturday ordered an FIR to be registered after RTI activist OP Kataria brought the matter to its notice.
“Stamp duty within municipal limits is charged at 7%. These developers got away with paying just 5%. They got revenue department officials in on their plan and showed Sihi was outside municipal limits,” Kataria said, adding that eight land deals were secured in this manner. The scam cost the exchequer Rs 2.4 crore, he alleged.
Sources said Kataria’s complaint about such deals at Sihi was not the first. Another RTI activist had done so six months ago. Then, in July, Kataria filed his complaint at the Manesar police station.
Police, however, did not file an FIR. “When I realised they were not doing anything about it, I approached the court. Now, an FIR has been ordered,” Kataria said.
Police have now begun the process of lodging the FIR. SHO Satinder, who is among those booked, said, “We have received the court order and the FIR will be registered soon… A similar case had come up in December and we are discussing the way forward with senior officials.”
DCP Rajesh Kumar could not be reached for comment.
In December, the sessions court had ordered an FIR against 14 developers, seven revenue department officials and three computer operators at Manesar police station in a Rs 5-crore stamp duty evasion scam. That case, too, had been brought up by an RTI activist from Manesar, Ramesh Yadav. After the case came to light, the state government had initiated an inquiry and taken action against officials found to be involved in any capacity.
This is the second time in less than a year that the sessions court has had to step in and order an FIR in a case involving stamp duty evasion, also at Sihi village.
The sessions court under Justice SK Sharma on Saturday ordered an FIR to be registered after RTI activist OP Kataria brought the matter to its notice.
“Stamp duty within municipal limits is charged at 7%. These developers got away with paying just 5%. They got revenue department officials in on their plan and showed Sihi was outside municipal limits,” Kataria said, adding that eight land deals were secured in this manner. The scam cost the exchequer Rs 2.4 crore, he alleged.
Sources said Kataria’s complaint about such deals at Sihi was not the first. Another RTI activist had done so six months ago. Then, in July, Kataria filed his complaint at the Manesar police station.
Police, however, did not file an FIR. “When I realised they were not doing anything about it, I approached the court. Now, an FIR has been ordered,” Kataria said.
Police have now begun the process of lodging the FIR. SHO Satinder, who is among those booked, said, “We have received the court order and the FIR will be registered soon… A similar case had come up in December and we are discussing the way forward with senior officials.”
DCP Rajesh Kumar could not be reached for comment.
In December, the sessions court had ordered an FIR against 14 developers, seven revenue department officials and three computer operators at Manesar police station in a Rs 5-crore stamp duty evasion scam. That case, too, had been brought up by an RTI activist from Manesar, Ramesh Yadav. After the case came to light, the state government had initiated an inquiry and taken action against officials found to be involved in any capacity.
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