Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
DEHRARDUN, 8 Aug: A fresh case of alleged land fraud involving property linked to the long-running Golden Forest land controversy has come to light in Dehradun. In this regard, Raipur police have registered a case against a man accused of representing nearly 1,910 square metres of restricted land in Danda Lakhond as his own and allegedly accepting an amount of Rs 35 lakh from a prospective buyer. The latest case has once again brought into focus the continuing problem of attempts to sell or purchase Golden Forest-linked land despite legal restrictions on its transfer and the long history of litigation and alleged fraudulent transactions surrounding such properties in Dehradun.
According to the complaint lodged by Veer Singh, a resident of Sahastradhara Road, complainant Singh came to know about the property through Praveen Nautiyal, who is into real estate and brokerage. As per the complaint, the accused, Vineet Kukreti, allegedly represented that he owns around 1,910 square metres of land in Danda Lakhond and offered to sell it to some prospective buyers. Following negotiations, an agreement for the property was executed on January 19 this year. Singh allegedly paid Rs 35 lakh to Kukreti at the time of execution of the agreement. It was agreed that the remaining amount would be paid after verification of the title and other documents relating to the property.
The complainant said that the documents were subsequently examined through a lawyer and it was revealed that the land was linked to Golden Forest. According to the complaint, the property was recorded in the revenue records in the name of Golden Forest and was also under mortgage with the Uttarakhand Excise Department against alleged dues of around Rs 1.31 crore. The complainant further alleged that the accused did not possess the required no-objection certificate from the Excise Department for dealing with the property.
The matter came to a head when the complainant allegedly began construction-related work at the site. A team of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (Doon Nagar Nigam) reached the spot and stopped the work, following which the complainant said that he tried to contact Kukreti. According to the complaint, the accused subsequently stopped responding to his calls and later refused to return the Rs 35 lakhs allegedly received from him.
Raipur police station in-charge Sanjeet Kumar said a case had been registered against Vineet Kukreti on the basis of the complaint and that the investigation had been entrusted to Sub-Inspector Deepak Dewari. The police are examining the allegations relating to the ownership and legal status of the land, the agreement between the parties, the payment of Rs 35 lakh and the documents allegedly used in the transaction.
The latest case is significant because land associated with Golden Forest has remained under a complicated web of litigation and restrictions for years. The controversy dates back to the large-scale acquisition of land in Uttarakhand by Golden Forest India Limited and its sister concerns during the 1990s. The Supreme Court record in the case of ‘State of Uttaranchal versus M/s Golden Forest Co. (P) Ltd’ notes that land was purchased in the names of Golden Forest India Limited and related entities and that questions had arisen over violations of restrictions under Section 154(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950. The litigation had then eventually reached the Supreme Court, which also dealt with the legal and administrative framework concerning the company’s properties and the committee constituted to oversee its affairs.
The legal restrictions surrounding Golden Forest properties are precisely what have made subsequent sale, purchase, mutation and registration of such land particularly contentious. Over the years, allegations have repeatedly surfaced that properties connected with Golden Forest were being sold through questionable transactions, forged documents, impersonation, old powers of attorney and other methods despite restrictions on their transfer.
More recently, the issue resurfaced prominently in Dehradun in 2024 when several cases relating to alleged fraudulent sale and registration of Golden Forest land were registered. In one such case, an Assistant Inspector General of Registration lodged a complaint alleging that land in the Dhoran Khas area, which had been sold to Golden Forest India in 1995, was subsequently dealt with through transactions that allegedly violated the legal status of the property. Another case registered in July 2024 in Nehru Colony police station was related to another alleged registry fraud in which a fictitious person was allegedly shown as the representative of a firm in connection with a Golden Forest-linked property.
In September 2024, another case registered at Raipur police station brought the issue into sharper focus. According to the complaint of the Assistant Inspector General of Registration, land in village Asthal, which had allegedly been sold to Golden Forest India in 1995, was subsequently sold to other persons in 2016. The transaction was alleged to have resulted in land fraud involving property worth crores of rupees. The case was described at the time as the fourth case registered in connection with alleged fraud involving Golden Forest land.
An SIT investigation into registry-related fraud also highlighted the scale of the problem. Reports in 2024 said the investigation had detected alleged fraudulent sale of thousands of hectares of land associated with Golden Forest, including government land. Another report based on the SIT findings said around 250 acres of government land were found to be under the alleged possession of Golden Forest, with the findings sent to the State Government for further action. These findings further complicated the ownership and title position of properties being offered for sale in areas where Golden Forest-linked land exists.
The issue however does not end with the cases registered in 2024. In October 2025, a Dehradun social worker approached the court alleging that land belonging to Golden Forest and its subsidiaries, along with government and riverbed land, was being sold to unsuspecting buyers using allegedly forged documents. The complaint claimed that several land dealers and property agents were involved in the transactions despite restrictions on the properties. The complainant also alleged that he had earlier approached the SIT (Land), the Garhwal Commissioner and the Dehradun District Magistrate over the matter. The court subsequently directed registration of an FIR in connection with allegations of sale of Golden Forest-linked land in the Sahastradhara area.
The Golden Forest controversy has also continued to figure in court proceedings. In April 2025, the Uttarakhand High Court dealt with a matter in which allegations had been made that land shown as having been sold to Golden Forest India Limited in 1995 was subsequently resold in 2006 through a power of attorney holder who had already died in 2005. The matter involved allegations of forgery, and the court sought information from the State regarding the role attributed to the accused and the material collected during investigation.
More recently, the administration has also intensified scrutiny of land registrations involving Golden Forest accounts. During an inspection of the Vikasnagar Sub-Registrar’s office in May 2026, Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal had reportedly found 150 allegedly illegal and unlawful registrations relating to Golden Forest accounts despite restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court. The inspection also uncovered serious irregularities in the maintenance and handling of registration records, with several old deeds found dumped or kept pending. The administration identified 47 cases involving suspected stamp duty evasion, with officials estimating revenue loss of several crores of rupees, and the District Magistrate had recommended suspension and departmental action against Sub-Registrar Apoorva Singh.
In February this year, the district administration had also ordered registration of an FIR against a buyer and seller over the alleged illegal sale and purchase of court-restricted land in Mauja Aamwala Tarla. The property was linked to the wider controversy involving restricted land and alleged violations of judicial orders, and the administration said it would take strict action against those involved in transactions of land under judicial embargo.
A separate criminal case also reached the Uttarakhand High Court in June this year in connection with land which, according to the allegations in the FIR, was partly recorded in the name of Golden Forest. The case involved allegations under provisions relating to criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery. The accused approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail and maintained that they had themselves purchased the property through registered sale deeds and were bona fide purchasers. The court proceedings indicate the continuing complexity of title disputes involving properties that were subsequently found to have links with Golden Forest.
The continuing cases have made the Golden Forest name a major red flag in Dehradun’s property market. While individual ownership and title disputes have to be determined on the basis of revenue records, registered documents, court orders and the findings of investigating agencies, the recurring allegations have also highlighted the risks faced by buyers who purchase land without carrying out a comprehensive title search.
The latest Rs 35 lakh fraud case in Danda Lakhond therefore assumes significance beyond the alleged financial dispute between two individuals. It once again raises questions about how land associated with Golden Forest continues to reach prospective buyers despite the long-standing legal restrictions and the repeated cases of alleged fraudulent sale and registration. The police investigation will now have to establish the exact ownership and legal status of the 1,910-square-metre property, determine whether the accused had any lawful right to enter into the agreement, verify the alleged payment of Rs 35 lakh and ascertain whether any other persons were involved in the transaction.
For prospective buyers, the case is another reminder that registration of a property document by itself does not necessarily settle questions relating to title where a property is subject to court orders, government claims, mortgage, ceiling restrictions or proceedings involving a company whose assets are under legal scrutiny. In the Golden Forest cases, the distinction between a registered document and a legally transferable title has repeatedly emerged as a central issue.
Time and again, allegations have also surfaced regarding possible involvement of many officials from the revenue, registry offices, the police as well as some senior bureaucrats in the fraudulent land sale and purchase of the property owned by Golden Forest.
