Punjab and Haryana High Court. (Express Photo by Jasbir Malhi/File)The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday granted interim bail to three persons, including the then SDM of Ratia, Fatehabad, in an alleged case of property fraud, registered by State Vigilance Bureau of Haryana.
As per allegations in the FIR, the petitioner, Bharat Bhushan, while being posted as SDM, Ratia, exercised undue influence in getting the sale deed registered in favour of his wife Sarika, and one Karamjit Kaur wife of the another accused, Bala Singh, a retired policeman.
Senior Advocates Vinod Ghai, and Dr Anmol Rattan Sidhu, with Advocates Kanika Ahuja and Suvir Sidhu contended that in order to get the sale deed registered by paying deficient stamp duty, the type of land was wrongly mentioned as agricultural land whereas it is a Gair Mumkin Kaarkhan. Secondly, the petitioner is guilty of offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act, as prior to purchase of the land, he has failed to get NOC from the department; and thirdly the land under transfer has dues of house tax to the extent of more than Rs 70,000 and this fact was not brought to the notice of the registering authority.
The counsels contended that the petitioner is neither vendee nor vendor and was thus not required to get NOC prior to the purchase of the land.
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The Bench of Justice Pankaj Jain after hearing the matter ordered that the petitioners are admitted to interim bail. The accused got interim bail include Bharat Bhushan, the then SDM of Ratia, his wife Sarika and Bala Singh.
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