RTI Act helps farmer to get back land

Daily Pioneer: Lucknow: Saturday, 09 January 2016.

Right to Information (RTI) had helped a ‘dead’ farmer into `life’ and get back his land. The sensational fact surfaced in Amroha where the local administration has now got a case registered against people who submitted a fake `death certificate’ of his father to grab agriculture land.

Detailing the case on Friday, State Information Commissioner, Hafiz Usman said that Siddiq of Pashwari hamlet of Dhanura tehsil (Amroha) filed an RTI with the thesil office seeking details of the papers submitted by his son Imamudin to grab his agriculture land. The farmer claimed that his son had conspired to declare him `dead’ on records so taht he could get his agriculture land transferred in his name.

Siddiq submitted the application under RTI Act seeking details of the `certificate’ in which he (Siddiq) was declared dead on September 25, 1995 even as he was alive.

The officials at Block Development Office in Dhanura after enquiring about the certificate, later informed that no such `death certificate’ was issued from their office indicating the detah certificate was a forged one.

Later, Usman informed the Tehsil office about his death certificate being fake and that he was still alive, but they refused to listen and went ahead and transferred his agriculture land.

Siddiq later filed an appeal in SIC’s court requesting intervention and redressal of his problem. The SIC in turn asked the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM)cum Tehsildar of Dhanura, Azad Bhagat Singh to probe the veracity of the `death certificate’.

OIn his report filed, the SDM mentioned that the death certificate of Siddiq was fake and that he (Siddiq) was very much alive. The report also mentioned that Imamudin had forged the certificate to grab the land keeping his father in the dark. The SDM also opined that a case be registered against Imamudin to initiate criminal proceedings in the matter.

The SIUC said that based on the SDM’s report, a case was registered at Dhanaura police station at Amroha and action has been intiated. After the registration of the case, the SDM also handed over possession of the land to Siddiq and restored his ownership on revenue records.