Shreyas H S
Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal
Bantwal, Jul 21: Head constable Rukmayya Gowda has spent half his life walking in and out of government offices to protect his inherited 1.65 acre of land which has been usurped. Yet justice has eluded him and he ends up losing more than half his monthly salary.
Gowda, currently working in Uppinangady, has been running from pillar to post to protect his land. The land was sanctioned to his father Thyamappa Gowda, under Rule 7 (1) A of the Mysore Land Grant Rules 1969 in 1972 in Peraje village. The land for which Thyamappa was an unauthorized occupant was sanctioned after regularizing the land.
Rukmayya Gowda
Gowda claims that an individual named Venkatramana Bhat, using bureaucratic clout of revenue department, created fraud documents in the name of Parameshwara Naik in 1995 to allegedly grab part of the land (1.65 acre) under survey number 12/2 (3.60 acre), granted to his father by the government.
Gowda says Bhat, hand in glove with the then tahsildar, created fake documents to lay claim to his land. A new survey number - 13/2 was created in the year 1995 for the part of 3.60 acre of the land. The then tahsildar allegedly created fake records to claim that the land measuring up to 1.65 acre had been granted to Parameshwar Naik on 9 April, 1980.
Since 1995, the case was discussed many times at taluk and district levels and in the High Court, but to no avail. The head constable was also reportedly cornered by the police department for his legal fight against the officials of the Bantwal revenue department. According to Gowda, he also wrote a letter to the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, in relation to the gross violation of human rights which has caused him to run from pillar to post to get justice, but in vain.
However, the then assistant commissioner of Mangalore had ordered cancellation of the document pertaining to survey number 13/2. The assistant commissioner, in the order dated 12-3-2000, ordered de-listing of the land sanctioned to Parameshwar Naik. But the tahsildar at that time failed to comply with the order. The information gathered through RTI on the action taken following the order also suggests that the tahsildar has not acted on the orders of the assistant commissioner.
Gowda filed a writ petition in the High Court. During the hearing, the authority concerned deposed before the court and said he would take swift action to cancel the land documents granted to Parameshwar Naik. But nothing of the sort happened.
Failing to get back the land after tedious efforts, Gowda wrote a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights(UNHCHR). The UNHCHR instructed the commission functioning from Karnakata to take measures to protect Gowda’s interests. However, on learning of theland dispute, the commission told the concerned authorities to deal with the issue and provide justice to Gowda.
"Till today, Bantwal revenue department has not complied with the orders passed on several occasions,” lamented Gowda. He said that he has lost faith in the law of the land. He also claimed that there could be at least 15 more victims who have fallen prey to Bhat and lost their land.
Bhat, when contacted, said Gowda is making false claims that he had got a favourable verdict in court. The latter, when asked about the assistant commissioner’s order, contended that the case was tried in the court. He was unable to answer to the statements by the court which said the tashildar will reverse the RTC.