STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: A public interest representation has been submitted to the Chief Minister of Assam, the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary of the Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Assam, seeking a high-level inquiry or constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into alleged irregularities involving disputed ownership and mutation proceedings related to tea estate lands associated with Jalannagar South Estates Limited and Ethelwold Estates Private Limited. The petition was jointly submitted by Aabhijeet Sharma, president of Assam Public Works, advocate Vijay Pandey of Dibrugarh and Palash Ranjan Baruah, who stated that the appeal had been made in larger public interest.
According to the representation, concerns were raised regarding alleged inconsistencies surrounding ownership claims, mutation proceedings and official records connected to valuable tea estate lands in Assam. The petitioners alleged contradictions in legal submissions made before the Gauhati High Court in a writ petition and questioned the legality of certain government actions and land-related processes.
The representation highlighted issues relating to alleged contradictions between ownership recognition and subsequent mutation proceedings, questions over government approvals, disputed land records and concerns regarding historical land deeds connected with tea estate property. It also sought scrutiny of alleged inconsistencies in revenue records and raised concerns over possible irregularities involving public officials and private entities.
The petitioners further claimed that the matter involved around 3,320 bighas of tea estate land, including approximately 2,161 bighas linked to a historical deed dating back to 1954. They stated that the issue raised concerns related to land administration, public revenue management, environmental protection and the integrity of official decision-making processes. The representation requested the government to preserve relevant records, conduct forensic examination of documents and mutation proceedings, investigate the role of officials involved and initiate legal action if any irregularities were established. The petitioners also stated that they possessed supporting materials, including court documents, RTI records, revenue papers, corporate records and historical deeds, which they said could be produced before authorities or any inquiry body constituted for investigation.
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