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Farmer appeals against President's spouse in land grab case

July 01, 2009 03:57 IST

A farmer has accused President Pratibha Patil's husband Devisingh Shekhawat and five of her relatives of land grabbing. Kishor Madhavrao Bansod from Chandrapur (Khallar) village filed a petition before the court of Sub-Divisional Officer accusing Patil's kin of making illegal changes in land record.

Bansod filed the petition under Section 247 of Maharashtra Land Ownership Act 1966, praying for a stay on the allegedly
illegal transfer of his land in their names. Bansod alleged that Shekhawat had not purchased his land, but they connived with the Patwari (revenue official) and got 7/12 (a key document) land record in their name.

Bansod said he owns one hectare of land but the Shekhavats allegedly got the land transferred in their names and left
only 0.30 R land for him. Alleging that this misdeed by the Shekhavats was unjust and illegal, Bansod has filed the petition before the local SDO.

Bansod has named Raghusingh Ramsingh Shekhavat, Siddheshwar Lalsingh Shekhavat, Bhawarsingh Lalsingh Shekhavat,
Kishorsingh Lalsingh Shekhavat and Omsingh Lalsingh Shekhavat, besides President's spouse Devisingh Shekhavat in his
petition. According to the petitioner, Ramsingh Jagatsingh Shekhavat, father-in-law of the President, had executed a sale
deed with Raisingh Nagorao Dike for his 18 acre land at Rs 2,500

per 'Tifan'. Later an agreement was reached and paid Rs
500 as earnest money to Dike. However, two of Dike's brothers refused to sell off their shares as the land was jointly in their name. Thereafter, the senior Shekhavat approached the civil court in 1967, and in 1970 the court asked Dike to pay Rs 500 with interest at the rate of 6 per cent from the date of filing the suit.

This decision was challenged in the District Court here and the court dismissed the suit upholding the Daryapur civil court's decision. Following this, a second appeal was made before Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court by Shekhavat. The High Court in 1982 ordered to sell off seven acre land of Dike's share to Ramsingh Shekhavat for Rs 7,125, and Shekhavat was asked to deposit the money in the court.

The Shekhavats also bought land of one Narmadabai Madhavrao Bansod along with Dike's and with the help of the revenue official manipulated the records, Bansod alleged. The civil court executed this sale deed in 2007 through Sub-Registrar without verifying the documents, he added.