No ‘ulterior motive’ in land regularisation order, no loss caused to exchequer: Maha minister Sattar

NAGPUR, (PTI): aharashtra Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar on Wednesday said that there was ”no ulterior motive” in his order for ‘regularisation’ of land reserved for public ‘gairan’ (grazing) in favour of a private person in the face of a civil court order, and said his decision has not caused any loss to the government exchequer.

Making a statement in the state Assembly, an emotional Sattar said whatever decision the high court gives in the matter will be acceptable to him.

His statement comes two days after both the Houses of Maharashtra legislature were adjourned after the opposition stalled the proceedings demanding Sattar’s resignation the order passed by him when he was a minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav Thackeray. Sattar said it appears that when the matter came to his notice, the land in question was owned by Yogesh Ramesh Khandare, a resident of Gawlipur in Washim, his father, grandfather and even great grandfather from 1946 to 1993. It also has a reference that the land was used for sowing from 1946-47 to 1952. Sattar said he gave a decision without any ulterior motive.

”My order (dated June 17 2022) has not benefited anyone or it has not led to loss of exchequer to the government,” Sattar said, adding that his order has not been executed till date and no changes have been made in the land records.

The opposition has been aggressive over the issue and seeking Sattar’s resignation. Last week, the Bombay High Court had issued a notice to Sattar for ordering ‘regularisation’ of the land. The bench was hearing a petition filed against the order Sattar had passed in June 2022 when he was the revenue minister. As per the petition, a public utility land meant for grazing measuring 37 acres was ‘regularised’ in favour of a private person.

This was done even after the claim of this private person had been rejected by the civil appellate court, said the petitioner who was represented by advocate Sunil Manohar.

The HC held that prima facie (on the face of it) Sattar passed the order with knowledge that additional district judge, Washim, had disallowed the claim of the private person for continuation of his possession over gairan land.

The Washim court had even passed stinging remarks that said a private person was certainly out to usurp the government land, the high court noted.

Thus, we find that the issue raised in this petition, which puts a question mark over the manner in which the public utility land/gairan land is allowed to be usurped by private individuals, requires consideration by this court.

The HC will hear the matter further on January 11, 2023. (PTI)