BENGALURU
The Karnataka government has constituted a high-level committee to investigate an alleged multi-crore land scam involving suspected forgery of revenue records and the illegal takeover of more than 16 acres of government land in KG Thornahalli village of Malur taluk in Kolar district.
The decision comes a day after former Malur MLA K S Manjunatha Gowda raised the issue and alleged large-scale manipulation of official land records. According to Gowda, the land was recorded as government property in revenue documents dating back to 1961.
He claimed that subsequent records were allegedly fabricated to show that the land had been granted to a group of farmers on January 14, 1963, before eventually being sold to a resident of Bengaluru. Gowda estimated the present market value of the disputed land at over Rs 80 crore.
To support his allegations, the former legislator submitted copies of original land records and related documents to Malur Tahsildar Roopa. He further alleged that no official records relating to the land were available between 1963 and 2024 and that the irregularities surfaced only after an application was filed last year seeking certified copies of the documents.
According to Gowda, officials in the land records section had already expressed doubts about the authenticity of some documents. He alleged that despite these concerns, proper verification was not carried out before revenue authorities proceeded with issuing a khata.
Following the allegations, Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department Rajendra Kumar Kataria ordered the formation of a committee comprising four senior revenue officials.
The panel has been tasked with collecting all original records related to the land and comparing them with documents alleged to have been forged. The committee will examine the authenticity of the records and submit a detailed report to the government.
Kataria described the allegations as serious, particularly claims that forged documents may have been produced before courts to facilitate encroachment of government land. He said all relevant records would be scrutinised and, if necessary, subjected to forensic examination.
The inquiry is expected to determine whether official records were tampered with and identify those responsible. Revenue department officials said appropriate legal and administrative action would be initiated if the allegations are found to be true.
