Mysuru: Senior Advocate O. Sham Bhat maintained that the Pouti Khata done in respect of 10 acres of land adjacent to Kalidasa Road in Jayalakshmipuram, coming under Hinkal Survey No. 155, is genuine and there is no illegality in it.

Addressing a press meet at Pathrakartara Bhavan in city yesterday, Sham Bhat said that the then Tahsildar had sanctioned 10 acres 3 guntas of land coming under Hinkal Survey No. 155 to Ramaiah, who belonged to SC community and his cousin brother P. Thimmaiah on Feb. 3, 1963.

Later, following an application by Ramaiah, the then Tahsildar sanctioned the remaining land coming under Hinkal Survey No. 155 through a Darakasthu and a separate Podi on Aug. 20, 1963 to him, leaving out the 10 acres and 3 guntas of land belonging to Ramaiah, he said.

Continuing, Sham Bhat said that thereafter Thimmaiah had got Revenue Khata to land in  Survey No. 155/a. This has been recorded in Revenue documents such as Index of Land, Records of Right and RTC.

Likewise, the RTC has been done to the land belonging to Ramaiah. In the sketch , it has been recorded that 10 acres of land stands in the name of Ramaiah, while 10 acres and 3 guntas of land stands in the name of Thimmaiah.

Thereafter, Ramaiah had got the change of land use in respect of the land belonging to Thimmaiah and subsequently, the Hinkal Panchayat had done separate Khatas in the name of Ramaiah and Thimmaiah.

Later, when the land coming under Hinkal Survey No. 155 came under the control of  MCC, Thimmaiah got a separate Khata done for his land.

Likewise, Ramaiah too got the Khata done in his name in 1988 and subsequently, both Ramaiah and Thimmaiah began to pay Revenues to the MCC.

After the death of Ramaiah in 2000, his family members have been paying the Revenue to the MCC since then. However, Ramaiah’s  family then did not get done the Pouti Khata following his death. After some time, Ramaiah’s family members filed an application to the MCC seeking Pouti Khata.

Acting on the application, the MCC authorities, after thoroughly screening the documents, did the Pouti Khata. But some vested interests, who were waiting to grab this prime land, raised their objections against the Pouti Khata in the name of the deceased Ramaiah’s family members.

The MCC authorities who came under the influence of these vested interests, have temporarily withheld the transferred Pouti Khata, Bhat explained adding that this withholding the Pouti Khata is absolutely illegal.

Pointing out that fudging or forging of land records belonging to SC community persons amounts to atrocities against them, Bhat said that the family members of late Ramaiah have decided to lodge an atrocities act against the vested persons.

Bhat further said that the Kuvempu Trust filed an application to the Government in 1964 saying that they would use the 20 acres of land belonging to Ramaiah and Thimmaiah for educational purposes. But as the said land is owned by SC Community members, the sanction for the request needed a State Cabinet approval.

In the meantime, the vested interests submitted a fake land sanction letter in the name of a fictitious Tahsildar Niranjan Agarwal, he said adding that Ramaiah’s family members  have  waged a legal battle in the Court in this regard.

Ramaiah’s family members and farmer leader Saragur Nataraj were present at the press meet.