Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 14 May: Serious irregularities relating to stamp duty evasion and suspicious land registries had come to light during a surprise inspection conducted recently by Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal at the Sub–Registrar Office in Vikasnagar. Following the findings, the District Magistrate has now recommended suspension and departmental disciplinary action against Sub–Registrar Apoorva Singh.
The surprise inspection, conducted on 4 May, had reportedly uncovered several cases of illegal registries, irregular record maintenance and suspected stamp duty theft. During the raid, important records and documents were seized by the administration for detailed investigation.
Officials stated that hundreds of original deed documents dating from 2018 to 2025 were found dumped inside the office in suspicious circumstances. Several registered documents were allegedly kept pending for months and even years without proper recording or notification. Around 25 registries were reportedly found lying unrecorded for years without any satisfactory explanation from the officials concerned.
Interestingly, one of the most serious findings during the inspection related to land linked to Golden Forest. The DM had detected nearly 150 allegedly illegal registries in accounts connected to Golden Forest land despite restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court on such transactions. Preliminary investigation has also revealed instances of registries being carried out on prohibited land in violation of rules. The administration stated that the role of officials and employees posted during earlier tenures is also being examined.
The probe has further identified 47 cases under Section 47-A relating to alleged stamp duty evasion, with officials suspecting revenue losses worth crores of rupees. The administration stated that detailed legal and departmental action would be initiated after completion of the investigation.
The inspection also exposed alleged lapses in transparency, poor record management and procedural violations in the functioning of the office. The DM has directed preparation of a detailed report covering both the present and former sub-registrars posted at the office to ascertain responsibility for the irregularities.
The district administration stated that, under the directions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, a zero-tolerance policy is being followed against corruption, irregularities and negligence in revenue and land-related matters across the state.
