Govt orders probe into alleged illegal sale of enemy properties

New Delhi: The Union home ministry has ordered a CBI probe against some of its own officials and those working with the Uttar Pradesh government and office of the Custodian of Enemy Property for India (CEPI) for alleged illegal sale and lease of enemy properties.

This was disclosed by Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Kumar Misha in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Mishra said according to information from CEPI, no enemy property is being utilised by government for any purpose.

"Complaints are received from time-to-time which are addressed as per existing procedure. Based on examination of cases, the government has initiated departmental enquiry and CBI enquiry against officials of state government of Uttar Pradesh, CEPI and MHA and other private persons," he said in a written reply to a question.

The minister said the leasing or sale of enemy property is provided under the Enemy Property Rules, 2015 and the Enemy Property (Amendment & Validation) Act, 2017.

Mishra said a total of 12,611 establishments, called enemy property, were left behind by people who have taken citizenship of Pakistan and China.

He said out of the 12,611 properties vested with the CEPI, 12,485 were related to Pakistani nationals and rest 126 to Chinese citizens.

The enemy properties are those left behind by the people who took citizenship of Pakistan and China after leaving India during the partition and after 1962 war.

The enemy properties are vested with the CEPI, an authority created under the Enemy Property Act 1968.