Madhya Pradesh high court pulls up Gwalior Collectorate over missing land case records; orders probe

BHOPAL: A single-judge bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court has pulled up the Gwalior Collectorate over missing records in a government land case and ordered a probe by the Principal Secretary, Revenue Department, within two months.

The court noted that the complete file related to a 2006 civil second appeal is not available in the Collector’s office. Only one entry in the outward register was found, showing that the then SDO had sought permission to file the appeal, but there is no record to confirm whether such permission was granted.

The bench said the appeal was filed in December 2006, with the then SDO signing as Officer-in-Charge (OIC), even though no order appointing him as OIC exists in official records. It also found no material to show that other officials were informed about the case or given responsibility.

The court observed that either there was negligence in the government advocate’s office or someone in the Collectorate removed the files. It said no proper inquiry was conducted and responsibility was shifted without fixing accountability.

Calling the earlier inquiry “superficial”, the court held the Collector responsible for not investigating the missing records. It directed the State to clarify whether permission was taken to file the appeal, whether any OIC was appointed, and why the case was not monitored.

The case relates to a dispute over 5.19 bighas of temple land in Kota Lashkar. A trial court ruled in favour of private parties in 2000, and the State’s appeal was dismissed in 2003. A second appeal filed in 2006 was dismissed in 2009. The State later sought restoration after a delay of over nine years.