Eight-Month Delay in Revenue Department Exposed as Tehsildar Bhalwal Finally Responds to ADC Jammu on October 29, 2025; Public Demands Action Against Alleged Nexus and Patwari Forgery
- A massive land scam involving 523 Kanals 11 Marlas of Custodian Land, flagged as “illegal and an outcome of fraud” by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), has been mired in an inexplicable eight-month bureaucratic delay within the Revenue Department, allowing fraudulent mutations to consolidate.
- Despite the ACB’s directive for immediate cancellation (vide letter No. ACB-E-7420428/Veri-Central-01/2024-15012-16 dated October 24, 2024), the process to investigate and act on these fake mutations, including allegations of forged signatures by a former Patwari, has crawled through multiple departments.
- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is now also actively investigating the case, continuously summoning those involved, as public complaints to the ACB prior to its formal action were allegedly ignored, allowing the scam to escalate into a large-scale fraud.
MOHIT MEHRA
Jammu, November 12, 2025: A massive land scam involving 523 Kanals and 11 Marlas of precious Custodian Land continues to expose glaring administrative lethargy and raises serious questions about an alleged nexus within the Revenue Department. Despite an explicit directive from the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to cancel these mutations, which it declared “illegal and an outcome of fraud,” the critical file took an inexplicable eight months to reach the ground-level official empowered to act. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has now also initiated its own parallel investigation, continuously summoning involved individuals as sources indicate significant action is imminent.
The saga began on October 24, 2024, when Sandeep Wazir, AIG (Admin), on behalf of the Director, ACB J&K, formally communicated with the Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), J&K, vide letter No. ACB-E-7420428/Veri-Central-01/2024-15012-16. This crucial communication explicitly demanded the “cancellation at the earliest” of these fraudulent mutations and the “retrieval immediately” of the entire Custodian Land.
Following this, the Commissioner Secretary, GAD, forwarded the ACB’s directive to the Financial Commissioner (Revenue), J&K. In a subsequent step, the Financial Commissioner (Revenue), J&K, then forwarded the letter to the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, vide Advisory No. 90/2024, No. FCR-CORD/829/2024-6 (7606382) dated December 10, 2024, requesting “appropriate action under rules/norms and furnishing an action taken report.” The bureaucratic march continued as the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, forwarded this directive to the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu, on January 03, 2025.
However, what followed was a shocking delay of over eight months. It was only on September 30, 2025, that the Additional Deputy Commissioner & District Vigilance Officer, Jammu, finally forwarded this critical advisory to the Tehsildar Bhalwal. The directive (File No. TB/OQI/2025-26/1430-31) explicitly stated: “Please find enclosed herewith the copy of communication… regarding the fake mutations… you are requested to have the aforesaid communication examined and take necessary action and also submit report to this office at earliest so that higher authorities can be apprised accordingly.”
On October 29, 2025, the Tehsildar Bhalwal finally submitted his reply to the Assistant Deputy Commissioner, vide official note No. TB/OQ12025-26/1430-31, regarding Advisory No. 90/2024 under Section 3-A. While the content of the reply remains undisclosed, sources confirm it pertains to the ACB’s directive on the 523 Kanals 11 Marlas of Custodian Land allegedly mutated through fraudulent means.
This significant delay has intensified public concerns, especially given previous revelations by Jammu Jottings. An exclusive sting operation conducted by Jammu Jottings captured video evidence where a former Patwari, who served in Patwar Halqa Bhalwal from May 26, 2017, to December 14, 2019, publicly denied having executed specific mutations on May 29, 2017. The new Patwari is now attempting to mislead agencies, claiming the mutations were not done by him.
However, the Patwari who held the charge prior to him unequivocally stated that he handed over all records and charge to his successor on May 26, 2017. He explicitly denied making any mutations on May 29, 2017, despite being asked by the then Tehsildar to hand over charge on that day while he was “somewhere on the road.” The former Patwari emphatically asserted that all 3-Alf mutations executed on May 29, 2017, along with another mutation (254-C), were carried out by his successor, who allegedly forged his signatures on these documents. He has offered to testify before agencies, confirming he transferred all records on May 26, 2017, and executed no mutations thereafter. This crucial evidence puts the onus on agencies and the department to verify these allegations and ascertain who executed the “fake” mutations on May 29, 2017, and September 25, 2017, including three to four 3-Alf mutations.
Sources indicate that the ACB had received regular complaints regarding these irregularities for a prolonged period. Critics argue that if the ACB had acted on these initial complaints with the urgency they warranted, the scam might not have escalated to its current massive scale. The ongoing ED investigation into the involvement of various individuals and the continuous summoning of suspects further underscores the seriousness of the fraud.
The public’s faith in the “Zero Tolerance for Corruption” policy is now severely tested. With the ball back in the Senior Revenue Officer’s court, citizens are watching closely to see whether accountability will finally replace administrative apathy, if the identified mutations will be cancelled, and if those involved in this sprawling scam, including those who allowed such significant delays, will be brought to justice.
