30 years ago, ‘fictitious’ woman got land under Delhi govt scheme for farmers — 3 convicted now
The CBI found that the woman, Suman, never existed. She was allegedly a “fictitious” character, created by some people in order to get an alternative plot in lieu of a land which was acquired by the government.
3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Dec 10, 2025 11:37 AM IST
The central agency also informed the court that this was not the only case registered against the three accused, adding that they had been convicted in three other cases on the same allegations.
Over three decades ago, one Suman was allotted a plot in Delhi as part of a scheme under which the government was compensating farmers after acquiring their lands for various projects.
Years later, the CBI found that Suman never existed. She was allegedly a “fictitious” character, created by some people in order to get an alternative plot in lieu of a land which was acquired by the government.
The CBI subsequently found an original Land & Building Department document related to the allotment at the residence of an advocate, identified as N K Gupta. An FIR was immediately registered. Gupta, his wife and one S S Malhi, a department official, were made accused in the case.
The file should have ideally been consigned to the record room of the department after completion of the allotment process.
The CBI claimed that Malhi had abused his official position as public servant by facilitating the accused to use “forged documents as genuine, dishonestly, knowingly and fraudulently to cause unlawful gain”.
The central agency also informed the court that this was not the only case registered against the three accused, adding that they had been convicted in three other cases on the same allegations.
“All of them had criminally conspired with each other and forged documents so as to obtain illegal allotment of plots from government departments either in their favor or in favor of third persons with intention to cause unlawful gain to themselves or to these third parties,” the CBI stated.
Story continues below this ad
As per the investigative agency, in the current case, the accused used forged documents to get recommendation for the allotment of the plot measuring 80 sq yards in the name of Suman in 1992.
The CBI also claimed that their investigation revealed that Suman, the “fictitious” character, “was not found existing or residing at her last reported address”.
The court was informed that her name was also not found in the electoral rolls of 1987, 1989, 1991 and 1992 of the South Delhi parliamentary constituency.
A cancellation notice by the DDA was also sent in 2003 to Suman through post but was returned undelivered, “with the endorsement that the address was incomplete”, it said.
Story continues below this ad
Locals and post office officials in the area were also inquired, but Suman could not be traced.
“Suman was neither the registered owner of the said piece of land…neither had she been paid compensation by the department of LAC in lieu of acquisition of the same,” Special Judge Chhavi Kapoor of Rouse Avenue Court noted in her order dated Monday.
“It was clear that accused had carefully and meticulously filled up details of the applicant ‘Suman’ in the check memo dated 28.11.1998 and summary sheet… in order to conceal the necessary particulars revealing the real identity of applicant… the same was done with the ill intention so as to cause unlawful benefit resulting in recommendation of alternative allotment to the applicant,” she added.
The judge held the three accused guilty of criminal conspiracy under the IPC and under the Prevention of Corruption Act, among others.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More
