Amid the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress on Sunday demanded registration of a criminal offense in connection with the purchase of land in the name of Chhattisgarh Minister Brijmohan Agrawal’s wife in Mahasamund district. , reported news agency PTI.
The congressional move comes after a local court recently voided the deed of sale.
When contacted, the minister, who is also a BJP candidate for the Raipur Lok Sabha seat, refused to comment, PTI reported.
Citing the court order, state Congress president Deepak Baij on Sunday alleged that Agrawal allegedly fraudulently acquired the property, belonging to the state water resources department, in the name of his wife and built a resort there.
The Congress leader demanded registration of a forgery case against the buyer and seller of the land.
Additional District and Sessions Judge (I) Mahasamund set aside the sale deed of the land in question in his order dated April 23.
According to the order, six villagers donated their 4,124 hectares of land in Jalki village to the water resources department in 1994 as part of ‘daanpatra’ (donation for public use) for construction of a reservoir. However, the land was never used for its intended purpose.
Although the land was acquired by the water resources department, its possession did not change in the revenue records and its ownership remained in the name of the donors, the court said.
In 2009, the original owners, Vishnu Sahu and two others, sold this land to Sarita Agrawal, wife of Brijmohan Agrawal, originally from Ramsagar Para (Raipur).
In its order, the court declared void the registration of purchase of the land since 2009, when the land was purchased, and directed the buyer to hand over possession of the land to the petitioner Mahasamunnd Water Resources Division.
The water resources department had filed a challenge to the 2009 purchase in court.
“(Brijmohan) Agrawal was then minister and was fully aware that the land situated around his under-construction resort was donated to the water resources department,” Baij told PTI.
(With input from PTI)