The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is facing intense scrutiny after compensating a private individual for acquiring government land in Kallahalli, North Bengaluru. A preliminary inquiry by the Bengaluru Urban district administration has raised suspicions of multiple government officials’ involvement in tampering with land records to facilitate this compensation.
In May 2008, 1 acre and 20 guntas of land were acquired to form the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout. However, in August 2022, BDA’s Additional Land Acquisition Officer Basanthi BS and Deputy Commissioner Soujanya A issued a consent award granting approximately 14,375 square feet of developed sites to KV Rudramurthy, son of KP Virupakshayya. The developed land, situated in Survey Number 8 of Kallahalli village, is valued at over Rs 15 crore.
Forgery Uncovered
The original land records designated the 1 acre and 20 guntas in Kallahalli as Mufat Kaval Sarkari or gomala land, meant for grazing. Investigations revealed alterations in handwritten pahani (land rights records), mutation registers, and other documents. Suspicious entries included new pages inserted in pahani records from 1981 to 1988, incorporating Rudramurthy’s name without proper authorization.
The district administration’s probe also uncovered discrepancies in tax records and the mutation register of 1979-80, which lacked the tahsildar’s signature. The land, initially covering 27 acres and 37 guntas of government property under one survey number, was also listed as government property in computerized records.
Top officials suspect the Bengaluru North tahsildar’s involvement due to an incomplete report submitted in November 2023 without thorough document verification. The Bengaluru Urban district administration has recommended that the Revenue Department take custody of the government land and direct the BDA to withdraw the allotment order. A senior revenue officer indicated a possible review of all land acquisition cases in the Kempegowda Layout.
BDA Commissioner N Jayaram was unavailable for comment.