Dr Rohit Mehta had filed an intervention petition alleging that political bigwigs and the mafia are trying to usurp land in the state
Dr Rohit Mehta had filed an intervention petition alleging that political bigwigs and the mafia are trying to usurp land in the state
High court Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar has asked the state government and the Pune commissioner of police to meet him on March 19 to discuss allegations of land grabbing made by Dr Rohit Dhirajlal Mehta, a senior surgeon attached to the Ruby Hall.
The court has asked the Commissioner of Police, Pune, to file a personal affidavit stating the action he has taken on the basis of the complaint filed by Mehta on October 12, 2007 at Khadak police station.
The court in its order passed on March 5 has said, "The affidavit should state the action taken in furtherance to the writ petition and whether the reports annexed to the writ petition are factually correct or incorrect by March 19."
Mehta had filed an intervention petition (66 of 2008) to a public interest litigation (PIL) (59 of 2008) filed against State of Maharashtra and others relating to land mafia operating in Pune, Maval, Shirur and other places.u00a0
The mafia allegedly comprises political bigwigs, builders, and property developers.
In his intervention to the PIL by city-based advocate Dinesh Arun Gonjare, Mehta through his counsel Amit Bhowmick has given details of how the powerful land mafia was trying to grab his land, terrorise his family and bully him if he did not sell it to them.
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Bhowmick told MiD DAY that according to Mehta this has been happening with the tacit, and direct support of the law enforcing authorities. "Mehta's case is just tip of the iceberg because farmers' land and forest land is grabbed through forgery," added Bhowmick.
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He further stated that the state government had agreed to these irregularities in the court. Now the court has directed the State to submit a report on the investigations regarding the authenticity of evidences provided by Gonjare and later by Mehta by March 19.
The land mafia, according to Gonjare's PIL, was putting pressure on Pune residents to sell their land to them or face the consequences. They have allegedly even forged certain documents to usurp the land.
But despite complaints at the Khadak Police station, and with the Commissioner of Police, and SP rural, Mehta did not get any relief.
The PIL was filed on the basis of newspaper reports published in English and Marathi dailies on various irregularities in land acquisition by the powerful land mafia, among other evidences.
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