Writ on slow probe in fake decree case

Deccan chronicle June 27, 2002

A division Bench of the High Court admitted a writ petition filed by the AP Girijan Sangam, West godavari District Committee complaining about slow progress in the investigation of fake court decree case.

The petitioner sought transfer of the case to CBI. He complained M. Somashekar and others were arrested but there were no further developments.

CPI (M) urged to soften stand on lands in scheduled areas

The Hindu, August 5, 2002.

ELURU AUG 4:

Non-tribal sympathisers of the Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPI-M) on Sunday urged the party politburo member, Koratala Satyanarayana, to reconsider the party's stand on enforcement of the one of '70 Act with respect to alienation of lands in scheduled areas.

Even as the party senior leader had been to Mulaalampalli in Jeelugumilli mandal as part of his visit to drought hit areas, mobs of small and middle farmers sympathetic to the CPI (M) drew the farmer's attention to their plight in the crossfire between tribals and non-tribals landlords. They wanted the CPI (M) to take a liberal approach on the issue so that the interests of the poor and small farmers were safeguarded.

"As I have two acres of land which I inherited from my father, one acre was hit by the Land Transfer Regulation (LTR) Act of 1970 on the ground that the land transactions that took place after 1970 will lose legal validity. Now I have to eke out my livelihood with the remaining one acre of land", bemoaned P. Satyanarayana.

"I have been associated with the CPI (M) for nearly four decades. Yet I have become a victim of the land struggles, instigated by the CPI (M)", said C. Subba Rao of Gangannagudem. He lost his entire six acres of land as it was grabbed and enjoyed by the tribals.

Similarly, a piece of 23 acres of land, owned by D. Suryanarayana has remained fallow due to the tribal/non-tribal conflict for the last four years. Another small farmer, D. Sivaiah, has become landless as his two acres of land was grabbed by the tribals, Mulagalampalli is one of the CPI (M) strongholds in the agency. According to information, about 100 small and medium farmers lost 120 acres of land in the village as a result of the conflict.

Meanwhile, Mr. Koratala Satyanarayana told The Hindu that the CPI (M) had been adopting a stand in such a way that the interests of small and medium farmers were taken care of on the one hand and justice was meted out to the innocent tribals on he other. Yet there could be some lapses here and there in carrying out the spirit of the party stand vis-à-vis the one of 1970 Act, he added.

It is ironic that the outcome of struggle for land by the tribals hardly brought any cheers to them. Take the cases of Jainavarigudem and Reddyganapavaram for instance. The tribals in these habitations complained to he visiting CPI (M) delegation - which comprised S. Rajaiah (MLA from Bhadrachalam), Alluri Satyanarayana (Member of the State Secretariat) and Mr. R. Satyanarayana Raju (secretary, the district committee) - that they were denied work by the landlords as a fallout of land struggles.

TRANSFER OF LAND UNDER FAKE DOCUMENTS

Arrest of two leads to tiff between police, revenue officials

THE HINDU May 4, 2002 .

By Our Staff Reporter

Eluru May 3:

The topbrass of the Revenue and police departments in West Godavari district are seemingly in a collision course over busting of a two-member gang responsible for alienation of disputed lands in favour of non-tribal farmers by producing fake judgements and pattehdar passbooks allegedly in connivance with the Revenue officials.

A team of police personnel, headed by the Jangareddygudem Sub-Divisional Police officer (SDOP), M.A. Roshan, arrested one Somasekhara Rao of Mulagalampalli village in Jeelugumilli mandal, son of former 'Karanam' of the village, and his associate, T. Nagavenkata Srinivas, owner of a type institute.

In a raid on the house of Somasekhar Rao, the police seized a take round and sold and flat stamp of the office of Special Deputy Collector, situated at Kota Ramachandrapuram, besides a similar round seal of the High Court. These stamps and seals were suspected to have been manufactured in Rajahmundry .

In a course if police interrogations, it was revealed that Somasekhara Rao was preparing fake judgements in the name of the Special Deputy Collector (SDC) Court and even the High Court by forging the signatures of the presiding officers. Besides, he was also preparing fake pattehdar passbooks. Naga Venkata Srinivas was allegedly aiding Somasekhara Rao by getting the 'judgements' typed at his institute.

After preparing the fake judgements, Somasekhara Rao used to ensure their execution by the revenue officials in favour of non-tribal farmers in Jeelugumilli and Buttayagudem mandals. In a bid to accord legitimacy to the alienated lands, the accused also gave the non-tribal farmers fake pattehdar passbooks. Inquires by the police revealed that Somasekhara Rao, a graduate in Commerce, had already got alienated 32.60 acres, hit by the Land Transfer Regulation (LTR) Act or one of 70 Act in favour of non-tribals in Buttayagudem and Jeelugumilli mandals through his dubious method of preparing fake judgments.

What was puzzling the investigating officers was recovery of 'adangal' records, considered to be master documents pertaining to the lands available in the respective revenue village, and the empty pattehdar passbooks. With the adangal records and the empty pattehdar passbooks, which were supposed to be in the custody of the mandal revenue officers concerned and the deputy tahsildars, the police obviously suspected the clandestine involvement of revenue officials in the scam.

Meanwhile, the district Superintendent of police, Kripananda Tripathi Ujela, at a press conference the other day, revealed that he had sent a 'special report' to the District Collector, Poonam Malakondaiah, apprising her of the role of revenue officers in the offence and seeking disciplinary action against them.

In a bid to take the case of having wider ramifications to its logical end, the police approached the SDC seeking to obtain the relevant records, by invoking section 91 of the Cr. PC, but the former turned down the plea of the police.

The particular section in the Cr. PC empowers the investigating officers to 'summon to produce documents or other things' from any body which deemed relevant for their Investigations. The police, at last secured the relevant documents from a Special Deputy Tahsildar in the SDC office through a requisition in writing for permission to do so.

Cases field against 20 Tribals

The Hindu May 19, 2002

ELURU MAY 18:

The police filed cases under the sections 353 (assault on public servants while discharging their duties) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of IPC against 20 adivasis who were reportedly involved in an attack on a police party at Pakalavarigudem in Jeelugumilli mandal on Friday.

The additional Superintendent of Police, V.B. Kamalhasan Reddy, said the police were closing in on the tribals responsible for the assault in which six police constables were injured. He said peace was restored in the area.

Meanwhile, the CPI (M) district committee secretary, R.S. Raju, strongly defended the reported assault on the police by his Party's adivasi sympathisers in Pakalavarigudem. At a press conference here, he observed: "Our party does not find fault with the tribals who attacked a police party because, the reaction from the tribals was only intended to defend themselves from police excess. Therefore, it was inevitable". In the same breath, he maintained that the CPI (M) was against instigating people to revolt against the police or any other government agency.

The police had provoked the tribals by launching a pre-dawn swoop in the habitation and bashed up the villagers indiscriminately.