Corruption heat rises in Revenue Department as ACB tightens net

• Srinagar court convicts former Girdawar, ACB moves against Patwari

SRINAGAR/UDHAMPUR, Mar 16: In a significant development in Jammu and Kashmir’s anti-corruption drive, a Special Anti-Corruption Court in Srinagar has convicted a former revenue official in a bribery case, while the Anti-Corruption Bureau has filed a charge-sheet against another Patwari in a separate land mutation case in Udhampur district. The twin actions underline a renewed focus on accountability in the Revenue Department.

In the Srinagar case, the Special Judge Anti-Corruption Court convicted Bashir Ahmad Dar, a resident of Kulgam, who was serving as Girdawar at the time of the offence, in a bribery case registered in 2012. According to the ACB, he was found guilty of demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 1,000 from a complainant for providing land Intikhabs relating to 36 kanals and 12 marlas of land.

Officials said the case originated from a complaint lodged on February 9, 2012, following which the then Vigilance Organisation Kashmir laid a trap. The accused was caught red-handed while allegedly accepting the bribe amount. After investigation, the case was charge-sheeted in 2013 and proceeded to trial, culminating in conviction on March 16, 2026.

The court sentenced Bashir Ahmad Dar to two years of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 under the Prevention of Corruption law. He was also sentenced to one year of simple imprisonment with a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 161 RPC. These penalties reflect the court’s view that abuse of public office for personal gain cannot be treated lightly, especially in matters involving land records and public dealings. The final sentence details are reported consistently across coverage and the ACB statement.

In a separate case, the ACB’s Udhampur-Reasi unit filed a charge-sheet before the Special Judge Anti-Corruption Court, Udhampur, against Mohammad Saleem Banday, then Patwari Halqa Mand Tikri and now Girdawar Halqa Judda in Reasi district. The case concerns alleged irregularities in attestation of a land mutation under the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act.

According to officials, the investigation found that the accused, along with a Naib Tehsildar and certain beneficiaries, allegedly misused official position to confer ownership rights in violation of legal provisions. The ACB said Section 6 of the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act applies only to dwelling houses occupied by a tiller, but the mutation in question was allegedly attested in favour of beneficiaries for shops, which was not permissible under law.

The case against Mohammad Saleem Banday has acquired added significance because he is already in judicial custody in connection with a separate trap case registered by the ACB earlier this year. Officials have also said that another corruption case registered against him in 2013 remains under investigation, indicating that the scrutiny around his conduct is not limited to a single complaint.

Taken together, the conviction in Srinagar and the fresh charge-sheet in Udhampur send a strong message that corruption in revenue administration, especially in cases linked to land documents and mutation entries, is continuing to face close legal scrutiny. Given the central role of revenue officials in matters affecting ownership, inheritance and property rights, these developments are likely to be seen as part of a wider push to reinforce integrity and public trust in the land records system. That broader implication is an inference based on the nature of the cases and the ACB’s simultaneous action in both matters.