Officials accused of usurping ₹30-crore land:Govt plot illegally converted to private ownership under fake name

The Indore district administration recently earned praise for reclaiming 18 Bighas of government land worth Rs 60 crore in Mhow. However, beneath this achievement lies a shocking scandal that raises serious questions about the functioning of the administrative machinery. In Mhow’s Santeer village, a portion of government land—already declared state property by the High Court—was not only transferred illegally to a private individual but also diverted for non-agricultural use despite a court stay. The land in question, valued at around Rs 30 crore, is part of 24.55 acres in Rasoolpura that the High Court had categorically declared government land. A 123-year-old missionary school operating on the land has lodged multiple complaints with the Commissioner and the Collector, but no action has been taken so far. How Government Land Became “Private”: Five Shocking Points 1. Missionary Committee Approaches Court After illegal encroachment on the land began, the Maseeh (Christian) Committee associated with the missionary school moved the court.
Committee representative Sanjay Nelson said that a petition filed by Varsha Garg in the High Court had already resulted in a clear ruling in favor of the missionary institution. Yet, officials continued to ignore all court orders. 2. High Court Order (10 April 2019) The High Court, while hearing a PIL (No. 27086/2018), declared Khasra numbers 68 and 69 as government land—nullifying any private claims. 3. Tehsildar’s Manipulation Despite the High Court order, the Mhow Tehsildar partitioned a 2.5-bigha portion of Khasra 68/1 and recorded it in the name of one Mangilal, son of Rajaram.
This was a direct violation of the court ruling. 4. SDM Approves Illegal Diversion (January 2025) Shockingly, on 25 January 2025, then-SDM Rakesh Parmar approved the diversion of this illegally transferred land—changing its use from agricultural to commercial/residential, instantly increasing its value several times. 5. Intervention of Supreme Court and District Court When the matter reached the Supreme Court, the mission was permitted to approach the Civil Court.
Taking note of the seriousness, the Fourth District Judge, Mhow, ordered a status quo on 23 September 2025, prohibiting any alteration on the disputed land. RTI reply denied, raises suspicion Suspicion deepened when the management committee filed an RTI seeking a copy of the partition order.
Despite a message asking them to collect the document, they were turned away empty-handed at the Lok Seva Kendra.
According to Sanjay Nelson, this indicates deliberate suppression of records to cover up the fraud. Who is the mysterious “Mangilal”? Nelson claims no person named Mangilal, son of Rajaram, exists in the village. He alleges it is a fabricated identity, created solely to facilitate the illegal transfer of government land. Key questions that demand answers A tale of two faces in Indore administration Just days ago, Indore’s administration was praised for removing encroachment from government land in Mhow. Collector Shivam Verma publicly stated that illegal occupation of government land would not be tolerated. Yet, in Santeer village, officials under the same administration appear to be doing the opposite—illegally facilitating the transfer of state land to a nonexistent individual. SDM responds: ‘Will investigate the matter’ Former Mhow SDM Rakesh Parmar said an inquiry would be conducted.
He added that verification would be done to confirm whether any person named Mangilal, son of Rajaram, actually resides in Santeer village.
He acknowledged that the land is government property and said the matter would be examined thoroughly.