Anar Patel row: Gujarat rejects allegations of wrong-doing

The Gujarat government, in an affidavit filed before the High Court here on Wednesday, rejected allegations of wrongdoings in sale of land to a private company reportedly linked to of Chief Minister Anandiben Patel’s daughter Anar Patel, saying it was the petitioner’s “figment of imagination.” 

The affidavit, filed by Joint Secretary in Revenue Department Bharat Trivedi, said the decision taken by the state government is bona-fide and in tune with the policies of the government for promoting the tourism industry of the state. The affidavit was filed by Gujarat government before a division Bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice Anant Dave in response to a PIL by NGO RTI Activists Sangathan through its head Razak Baloch.

The affidavit said the allotment of 99 hectare land was done by "strictly adhering to the prevailing policies of the various departments of the state government. It is a figment of imagination of the petitioner that the officers of the respondent departments have perpetrated fraud in the allotment of land." 

The petitioner sought two-week time to file a rejoinder to the affidavit, which was granted by the court.

The government land at Patla village in Amreli district was allotted to one Wildwoods Resort & Reallties Pvt Ltd (WRR), owned by the alleged business partners of Anar Patel, at a concession rate of Rs 15 per square metre as against the actual valuation of Rs 180 per square metre, the PIL said.