A single complaint from a vigilant citizen has triggered a significant anti-corruption drive within the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), leading to the immediate suspension of six officials. The action was taken after an inquiry confirmed the illegal creation of 128 land khatas for vacant plots, bypassing all mandatory legal procedures.
The Complaint That Sparked the Investigation
The entire episode came to light when a citizen, Mohan Babu M, approached the GBA on April 21, 2025. He raised an alarm about suspicious khata entries linked to survey number 31/2 in Naganathapura village, located in Bengaluru South taluk. Babu alleged that khatas were being generated for plots formed by a private entity, Samskruthi Developers, without any legally valid proof of ownership.
Instead of submitting registered sale deeds or necessary approvals from planning authorities, the developer and applicants were relying solely on self-affidavits. This practice is explicitly illegal under multiple statutes, including the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, the Registration Act, and the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act (KTCP). Concerned by the scale of the suspected fraud, Babu formally requested a probe and the cancellation of all illegally created khatas.
Findings of the Inquiry and Suspensions
The complaint prompted Special Commissioner (Revenue) Munish Moudgil to order a detailed investigation, led by the joint commissioners of Bommanahalli and revenue. The findings were stark. "The investigation confirmed that the officers first entered details of the 128 plots manually in the physical B-register and later attempted to upload them into the e-khata system," stated Moudgil. This method was a deliberate attempt to bypass the mandatory legal checks integrated into the digital system to prevent fraudulent entries.
The inquiry report highlighted several glaring violations:
- Khatas were issued without any registered sale deeds, violating the Registration Act and the Transfer of Property Act.
- Officers ignored a crucial BBMP circular from October 3, 2024, which prohibits khata creation for unauthorized layouts lacking approval from competent planning authorities under Section 17 of the KTCP Act, 1961.
Consequently, GBA Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao ordered the suspension of all six implicated personnel from the Begur sub-division. The suspended officials are:
- Assistant Revenue Officers Suresh, Hemanth Kumar, and Narasimhalu
- Revenue Officer Shantesh of Bommanahalli
- Second Division Assistants Bhagyashree and Balalingaraju
Zero-Tolerance Policy and Ongoing Probe
Emphasizing the seriousness of the offence, the GBA administration stated that creating khatas based only on affidavits is entirely illegal and can cause government financial losses running into crores of rupees. Chief Commissioner Rao reiterated that the GBA and the five city corporations maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal khata creation, record manipulation, and citizen harassment.
A departmental inquiry and legal proceedings have been initiated against the suspended staff. The investigation is ongoing to determine if other officers or intermediaries were part of the network. The GBA has also urged the public to report any dubious khata activities, stressing that any khata issued without valid ownership documents is invalid and subject to cancellation.
This case underscores the critical role of citizen vigilance in upholding transparency in urban governance and land administration in Bengaluru.
