Bhagwant Singh surplus land case: Ambala officer cancels mutation of 810 acres

The land, valued at Rs 5,000 crore at current rates, is part of the estate belonging to Sardar Bhagwant Singh, an erstwhile king, and is located in seven villages of Panchkula district. (Representational image) Ambala Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma has directed to cancel mutation of over 810 acres of land in the names of private owners in seven villages of Panchkula district. The land, valued at Rs 5,000 crore at current rates, is part of the estate belonging to Sardar Bhagwant Singh, an erstwhile king, and is located in seven villages of Panchkula district. The order passed by Verma on May 26, exercising his quasi-judicial powers, also directs that the entire landholding be mutated in the name of the state government.A substantial portion of the disputed land is situated along the National Highway-7 corridor connecting Panchkula and Yamunanagar. Several residential projects, including some belonging to the VIPs, have already come up on parts of the land over the years. The dispute pertains to around 1,394 acres spread across seven villages of Panchkula district — Beed Babupur, Beed Firozadi, Bhareli, Sangrana, Barwala, Jaloli and Fatehpur Viran. The land belonged to Bhagwant Singh who died in 1960, leaving behind seven legal heirs, who could claim part of the estate. For the past over seven decades, legal proceedings have been ongoing to determine what they could inherit and the surplus, which, as per law, must vest in the state government. According to a report submitted by the Panchkula Tehsildar, of the total landholding, 583 acres, 3 kanals and 16 marlas had been mutated in favour of the state government, while the remaining 810 acres, 5 kanals and 7 marlas are recorded in the names of private landowners. The Commissioner held that the surplus land case must be decided by treating the entire landholding as belonging to Sardar Bhagwant Singh. The order notes that the status of the landholding has to be assessed as it existed on April 15, 1953, the reference date under the Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953. Holding that the entire estate vests in the state government under the applicable land ceiling laws, the Commissioner directed that the remaining 810 acres, 5 kanals and 7 marlas standing in the names of private owners be mutated in favour of the state government. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd