L-G recommends suspension of Rev dept's North Delhi ADM of 2021 over graft charges
New Delhi: Lt Governor V K Saxena has recommended suspension of a a senior official, who was the additional district magistrate, north Delhi, under the Revenue department in 2021, over an alleged "scam" involving transfer of forest land to private individuals, sources said on Friday.
Five officers, including an ADM, two SDMs, a sub registrar and a deputy secretary of Delhi government, were suspended last month on LG's instructions over land-related "scams" in north and south Delhi. Saxena had earlier stressed on "zero tolerance" towards corruption and probity in public life by officials.
"The LG has approved initiation of major penalty proceedings and recommended to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the suspension of Nitin Jindal (DANICS), then ADM (North) under the revenue department of the Delhi government," said sources aware of the development.
The ADM was accused of "illegally transferring"
forest department land located in village Zindpur in north district to private individuals in March 2021," they said.
The Directorate of Vigilance, had found "grave misconduct" by the concerned officer, who "willfully ignored" established ownership of the land with the forest department, upheld time and again by different orders of the Financial Commissioner as well as the Court," sources said.
The alleged land transfer by the accused officer was done after "receiving huge pecuniary benefits" by "abusing his official powers". The land in question has a market value of crores of rupees, sources claimed.
The accused officer, then ADM (North), had started hearing an appeal under Delhi Land Reforms Act, 1954, due to some reason in February 2021. The appeal was initially being heard by district magistrate of North Delhi, they said.
The hearing by the ADM was without any jurisdiction in the matter and violated the DLR Act. The DM in his previous hearings had said the land belonged to the Forest department and the High Court in its judgement on January 23, 2012 had also ruled the land to be forest land, they added.
