CBI registers case against Kathua-based educational trust

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against a Kathua-based educational trust, which was reportedly run by former Jammu and Kashmir minister Lal Singh's family and certain government employees, for alleged criminal breach of trust and corruption.

According to the CBI, the case has been registered against RB Educational Trust through its chairperson and others including the then Deputy Commissioner of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua, then Tehsildar, then Naib Tehsildar, then Girdawar, then Patwari and unknown persons.

The case has been registered on the allegations of having facilitated the trust to possess land much beyond the ceiling limit and submission of false affidavits in support of the trust and causing loss to the state exchequer.

The CBI, in a statement on Tuesday, said that searches have also been conducted at three locations in Jammu and six locations in Kathua including the residence of the RB Education Trust chairperson and other accused.

The probe agency said that a preliminary inquiry was registered by the CBI in June this year on the allegations of encroachment of a huge tract of public or forest land in Kathua by certain persons in violation of the Jammu and Kashmir Agrarian Reforms Act in connivance with Revenue and Forest officials.

"It was further alleged that the accused were involved in the conspiracy with the said educational trust through its chairperson to allow the trust to retain the land beyond the permissible ceiling limit of 100 standard kanal fixed in the Agrarian Reforms Act by deliberately giving the wrong exemption of 32 kanals of grazing land as per said Act and showing the land as 'Orchard' which was not an orchard as per revenue record," the statement said.

The agency said that it was also alleged that the trust, in connivance with the other accused got the wrong calculation of standard kanal of the land measuring 316 Kanal and 17 marlas to escape the ceiling imposed by the Jammu and Kashmir Agrarian Reforms Act.

"It was further alleged that false information was submitted in the affidavit filed by one of the accused during June 2015 before the court in public interest litigation (PIL) so as to save the Trust from any adverse order," the statement said.

( With inputs from ANI )