Centre Probes Suspicious Land Deals, Illegal Funding Along Rajasthan-Pakistan Border After Demolition Drive

Jaipur: Following the demolition of illegal structures within 50 kilometers along the international border with Pakistan in Rajasthan, the central government has now started investigating suspicious land deals and illegal funding in the area.

A team from the Income Tax department reached the Sub-Registrar's office in Jaisalmer on Tuesday and examined land registration records of the years 2024-25 and 2025-26 and, as per reports, seized 50 suspicious files for further investigation.

The investigation has been entrusted to the 'Intelligence and Criminal Investigation' wing of the Income Tax Department. Income Tax Officers (ITOs) from Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner, Barmer, and Jaisalmer have been tasked with monitoring suspicious registrations and transactions in their respective areas to ensure a legally and technically robust investigation.

About two weeks ago, a joint income tax team from Udaipur and Barmer carried out a similar investigation in Barmer. The teams are scrutinizing the land deals cash transactions and verifying whether the rules were followed.

Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his visit to Bikaner on May 26, has directed the officials to demolish illegal construction and scrutinize the land deals to investigate the use of black money and suspicious funding in the border areas.

Following this, a massive demonstration drive within the 50 kilometers of the border was conducted. Religious places were razed, and eviction notices were served to over 50 mosques, dargahs, and madrasas in border districts like Barmer, Jaisalmer, and Bikaner.

The action was challenged in the Rajasthan High Court as well, but the High Court dismissed the petitions and ruled that border security and national security take precedence and that standard procedural rules of natural justice can be relaxed for such measures.

Justice Sameer Jain ruled that attempts to give the demolitions a communal color were misplaced. The court stated that proximity to the international border requires heightened vigilance.

However, the High Court directed the state to form a specialized review committee featuring a district collector, superintendent of police (SP), and a Border Security Force (BSF) representative to examine each sensitive property on a case-by-case basis.