Senior Congress leader Taj Mohiuddin Thursday termed the case of “illegal conferment” of land under the now annulled Roshni Act in Shopian district against him as “political witch-hunt”.
He said the move was aimed at derailing his current campaigning for the District Development Council (DDC) polls.
CBI booked Mohiuddin, a former minister along with four senior officials of the administration in a case of alleged illegal conferment of forest land at Sedow area of Shopian in south Kashmir.
The case against Mohiuddin came days after he had filed nomination papers for DDC polls from his native Uri’s Parampillan segment.
Mohiuuddin said the CBI’s case was already being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau.
“They couldn’t find anything because land was never transferred. All revenue officials who have been named have already been promoted. They have been given no objection certificates,” he said. “They were not able to prove anything against me.”
“This is political witch-hunt, nothing else. I didn’t transfer any land. The land is in my possession since 1971. I have purchased it. I have 18 kanalland there. The land they are talking about was never transferred,” he said.
According to the FIR re-registered by CBI, “The land allegedly occupied by Mohiuddin was Forest land and that the accused, two months after the approval from DC office sought a no objection certificate from the Forest department.”
It also states that the ACB in their probe had said that the Forest department had conveyed their objection through official communication yet the Revenue officials had informed the Forest department that the objections do not stand as the case was disposed off.
The forest department had again raised objection regarding to the case. “The concerned public servants of the Revenue department have by commission of illegal acts processed, prepared and approved the illegal claim of Taj Mohiuddin over the land that belongs to the Forest department thereby paving way for conferment of undue pecuniary advantage upon the beneficiary in league with each other and with the beneficiary despite having the knowledge that the land belonged to the Forest department and in no way can be processed for conferment of ownership rights under the provision of J&K State Land (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) 2001,” the FIR mentioned.