Puttur Assistant Commissioner cancels government land granted to brother of Rajya Sabha MP D. Veerendra Heggade

Senior official cancels 7.5-acre land grant due to failure to disclose owned lands, following High Court directive.

A senior Revenue Department official in Dakshina Kannada has cancelled the order granting 7.5 acres of government land to D. Harshendra Kumar, brother of Pattadhikari of Shrikshetra Dharmastala and Rajya Sabha Member D. Veerendra Heggade, by holding that he (Mr. Harshendra Kumar) did not disclose lands he possessed while filing application seeking grant of government land for landless person.

In the order on January 21, 2025, Jubin Mohapatra, the then Assistant Commissioner, Puttur Sub Division, (who has now been transferred) ordered cancellation of the Belthangady Taluk Land Tribunal’s order on March 21, 1972 granting to Mr. Kumar the 7.59 acre of land in survey no.61/1 in Dharmastala village.

He further ordered the Belthangady tahsildar to take possession of the land and make suitable entry in the land records.

The Assistant Commissioner passed the order on the application filed in 2015 by K. Somanath Nayak, president of Nagarika Seva Trust, Guruvayanakere, questioning the grant of land to Mr. Kumar. Following issuance of notice, Mr. Kumar approached the Karnataka High Court. The High Court, in July 4, 2022, directed Assistant Commissioner to pass order as per law on the basis of documents that are produced.

In the order, Assistant Commissioner (AC) referred to a part of the High Court’s July 4, 2022, order that states: “In a proceedings for cancellation of grant, the primary question to be considered by the granting authority, is as to whether the grant was obtained by false information or by mis-representation. If the granting authority has come to the conclusion that there is some material has come to indicate that the grant had been obtained by mis-representation, it would have the power to examine whether the grant was proper or improper.”

The AC further stated that Mr. Kumar failed to mention the extent of self acquired, family and properties of husband/wife at the time of filing the application.

The official referred to the land grant order of the land tribunal on March 6, 2012, which mentions the letter of Mr. Heggade on October 11, 1992, giving details of properties possessed by Mr. Kumar and three other adult family members as on March 1, 1974. As per the details, each of the four family members are entitled to 54 acres of “D” group agriculture land of the family.