Chandigarh: The Opposition Indian National Lok Dal in Haryana has pounced upon the opportunity to hit out at the Congress government following a stay on the execution of a sale deed of land purchased by Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts in Badhsa village of Jhajjar district in Haryana. The stay was ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court dealing another blow to Bollywood producer-director Subhash Ghai. INLD’s Ashok Arora alleged farm land was being handed over to builders and industrialists.
The decision follows Supreme Court directions ordering the quashing of 14.5 acres of land allotted to Ghai on the outskirts of Mumbai. The Andhra Pradesh High Court also quashed the allotment of land to Subhash Ghai’s Mukta Arts and Whisling woods for setting up a branch of his acting school Whistling Woods International there.
The stay order along with showcause notices to Ghai, Haryana government and Jhajjar deputy commissioner was issued by the High Court after taking cognizance of a petition alleging favoritism by the Haryana government in granting permission to sell 20 acres of village common land to Ghai’s Mukta Arts.
Petitioner Nafe Singh, a teacher, had alleged that the land was sold to Ghai in 2010 for public purpose but he had put it to private use. A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Alok Singh issued the orders.
Counsel for the petitioner, Deepak Balyan, contended that the decision to sell the village land to Mukta Arts from the village panchayat was taken under pressure and not by free will.
The petition states that permission was granted by the government for sale of the Panchayat Land in favour of Subhash Ghai without following procedures and in violation of the rules prescribed under the Punjab Village Common Land Regulation amendments Rules 2009.
The petitioner also states that as per the information available on the website of Mukta Arts Ltd, the details about their function and working and motive shows that the private respondents are a profit making company and they are also not a charitable trust or Society registered under the Society Registration Act.
The petitioner states that the finding recorded by the Bombay High Court in the Judgment dated February 9, 2012 in a similar and identical case of allotment of 20 Acres of land to Subhash Ghai’s institutes established that the motive and purpose of Mukta Arts and Whisling woods was only private motive of their own benefit.
Badhsa gram panchayat in Haryana had sent a resolution to the Haryana government on January 6, 2010, to permit it to sell 20 acres of land to Mukta Arts. The state government allowed the panchayat to sell the land in September for Rs 8.02 crore, which included the land price and annuity. The next date of hearing in the matter is July 31.
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