Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seeking a CID probe against a person who submitted fake documents to allegedly grab 532 acres of forest and government land.
According to Mr. Khandre, a person named Nemanna Gowda filed a writ petition in the High Court.
Based on the order of the Special Deputy Commissioner of Hassan under the Inam Abolition Act, he received an order directing authorities to transfer to his name within three months the documents of 532 acres, including 482 acres of reserved forest land in B.M. Kaval near Kengeri, which he claimed were granted to him.
He stated in his letter that until one day before the 90-day deadline, the Additional Government Counsel did not inform the government or the Forest Department about this matter.
The Minister alleged that instead, the Additional Government Counsel stated that this was not a suitable case for filing an appeal and thereby acting in favour of the petitioner.
He added that when the Forest Department came to know about this land, which is said to be worth ₹25,000 crore, he conducted a meeting and instructed officials to file an appeal.
He said that this person had earlier too attempted to claim rights over government land using false and forged documents.
In regard to this, Mr. Khandre wrote that the then Sub-Divisional Officer of Chikkamagaluru district, Debjit Kumar in September 2024, had ordered a criminal case be registered against this person.
In his letter, the Minister added that as soon as the B.M. Kaval issue came to his notice, instructions were given to file a complaint at the Chikkamagaluru police station. “Although a complaint was received on November 28 by the Mudigere Circle Inspector, no FIR has been registered,” he wrote.
He appealed to the Chief Minister to form a special team or hand over the case to the CID to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter and take action against the guilty officers.
Mr. Khandre also instructed that an investigation be conducted and action be taken against the Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) for delaying the filing of a complaint, even though the then Chikkamagaluru Sub-Divisional Officer had directed that a case be registered against those creating fake documents to encroach on government land.
Published – December 09, 2025 11:44 pm IST
