15 Revenue Officials Sent On Leave Over Land Record Manipulation In Pune

Pune: In a major crackdown on alleged land record manipulation, the Maharashtra Revenue Department has placed 15 officials on compulsory leave following the detection of serious irregularities in cases linked to Section 155 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code. The action comes after a detailed report exposed misuse of powers meant for correcting land records in Pune district.

According to available details, the action has been taken in the first phase of the investigation. Out of the 15 officials, 11 are currently posted in Pune district, while four are serving in other parts of the state, including Mumbai, Kolhapur, Nashik, and Nagpur. The officials include deputy collectors, tehsildars, circle officers, revenue assistants, village revenue officers, and clerks.

The issue relates to powers granted under Section 155, which allows Tehsildars to correct errors in digitised 7/12 (Satbara) land records. However, the state government received complaints that these powers were misused to make illegal changes in land classification, area, and ownership details instead of correcting genuine errors.

To probe the matter, the government formed a special committee led by Nashik Divisional Commissioner Pravin Gedam. The committee examined a total of 38,027 cases in Pune district. Out of 2,337 cases where documents were available, 13 cases were identified as highly serious and placed under Category ‘A’.

The inquiry found that in these cases, officials had allegedly misused legal provisions to alter land ownership and rights unlawfully. Following the findings, Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had assured strict and immediate action against those responsible.

Acting on these directions, the Revenue Department issued orders placing the 15 officials on compulsory leave until further notice. The order was issued by Section Officer Shraddha Magar.

The list of officials includes Geeta Gaikwad, Jyoti Deore, Ravindra Sabnis, Venkatesh Bhosale, Pralhad Patil, Shrikant Patil, Madhusudan Barge, Maruti Chormale, Ashwini Gore, Sujata Racchewar, Shrikant Kulkarni, Suresh Jagtap, Dnyaneshwar Bharate, and Sanjay Patil.

Officials said further action may follow as the investigation progresses and more details emerge in the case.