• Elderly couple from Udupi, who lived abroad, alleges usurping of their 5.14-acre land valued at Rs. 50 crore
• Blames former MUDA Commissioner for fraudulent site allotment to eight persons under 50:50 ratio

Mysuru: A relative of an elderly couple settled abroad allegedly forged documents to claim compensation when the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) acquired their land.

Former MUDA Commissioner G.T. Dinesh Kumar (now suspended pending a departmental inquiry) has been accused of allotting sites on the same land to eight unrelated individuals under the contentious 50:50 ratio land allotment scheme.

It has emerged that MUDA officials, with the assistance of a close relative of the Udupi-based elderly couple, acquired 5 acres and 14 guntas of land valued at Rs. 50 crore, leaving the original owners without any compensation or their land.

The elderly couple from Udupi, Subramanya and Devaki, who recently returned from abroad, held a press conference along with their relatives Manjunath and Vicky at Jaladarshini Guest House yesterday.

They explained how they had been cheated and revealed that they have filed a complaint against former MUDA Commissioner, G.T. Dinesh Kumar with the Karnataka Governor, Mysuru Deputy Commissioner and the City Police Commissioner, seeking justice.

Details of the case

Subramanya and Devaki, who were residing abroad, purchased 5.14 acres of land in 1986 in Survey No. 118 of Basavanahalli village, Kasaba Hobli, Mysuru Taluk, through Devaki’s brother Ponnappa. A joint Khata was also established in the names of Subramanya and Devaki for this land.

The couple entrusted Ponnappa with the responsibility of farming and building maintenance on their land and left for abroad.

MUDA notification

In 1991-92, MUDA issued notifications 4(1) and 6(1) for land acquisition. During this period, Ponnappa allegedly forged a General Power of Attorney (GPA) with a seal and signature from the Gandhinagar Sub-Registrar’s Office in Bengaluru and filed a case against MUDA in Court, reportedly securing Rs. 8,37,451 as compensation for the land, according to the couple’s allegations.

In 2013, when 74-year-old Subramanya and 70-year-old Devaki returned to India, they were unaware that their land had been acquired by MUDA. Settled in Udupi, the couple had frequently travelled to Mysuru to check on their property.

Relative commits fraud

In 2017, they discovered that their land had been acquired by MUDA and that their trusted relative, Ponnappa, had fraudulently claimed compensation using a fake General Power of Attorney (GPA).

After obtaining records from MUDA under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, they filed a complaint against Ponnappa at the Udupi Police Station. Subramanya also reported that they had written to both the MUDA Commissioner and the Chief Minister. The Chief Minister’s Office subsequently instructed the MUDA Commissioner to investigate and address the issue.

Road construction

They stated that despite their relative Ponnappa fraudulently claiming Rs. 8.37 lakh in compensation for their land using a fake GPA and their subsequent complaint to the Udupi Police and notification to the MUDA Commissioner, Dinesh Kumar, who was MUDA Commissioner in June 2023, proceeded to construct a road on their land.

The asphalted road was constructed in two days of continuous work and Dinesh Kumar justified this action as necessary for road development and allocated eight sites under the 50:50 ratio scheme to eight unrelated individuals who have no association with the elderly couple whatsoever, the couple alleged.

The couple has filed written complaints with the Governor, Mysuru DC and the City Police Commissioner seeking justice.