The Karnataka High Court has refused to quash an investigation and related proceedings against three government officials accused of creating forged documents for five acres of tank bund land at Navaratna Agrahara in Jala hobli, Bengaluru North taluk.
The case involves M Ramamurthy, who was a surveyor at the time, BR Manjunath, then tahsildar of Bengaluru North additional taluk, and village accountant Sandeep Singh. They had challenged the investigation initiated by the ACB/Lokayukta police.
According to the case details reported before the court, the officials allegedly created documents by conducting a separate phodi, or land measurement, for the five-acre parcel and assigning it a separate survey number. The allegations concern both revenue and survey records relating to land identified as tank bund land.
Ramamurthy and Manjunath argued that they had worked in Yelahanka between 2008 and 2012 and that no complaint had been made against them during that period for manipulating documents. The court rejected the argument as a reason to stop the investigation.
Justice HP Sandesh said an investigation was necessary after subsequent revenue officials and employees of the survey department alleged that their signatures had been forged and that revenue and survey documents had been created. The court’s refusal to quash the proceedings allows the ACB/Lokayukta investigation to continue.
The case places the focus on the role of official land records in determining the status and identity of urban parcels. A separate survey number or measurement record can affect how a tract is represented in government documents, although the court’s order at this stage concerns whether the allegations require investigation rather than establishing guilt.
The land is located in Bengaluru North taluk, an area that has seen extensive urban growth and pressure on land records. The material available in the case does not specify the present use of the five acres, the alleged beneficiaries of the records, or whether any construction or transfer took place on the parcel.
The High Court’s decision also distinguishes between conducting an investigation and proving the charges. The officials remain accused, while the allegations regarding forged signatures and fabricated revenue and survey documents will have to be examined through the legal process. The ACB/Lokayukta proceedings will now continue against the three officials.
