Congress seeks criminal case after court ruling on land bought in name of Chhattisgarh MLA Brijmohan Agarwal’s wife

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Amid ongoing Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Congress on Sunday demanded the registration of a criminal offence in connection with purchase of a land in the name of Chhattisgarh minister Brijmohan Agrawal's wife in Mahasamund district, reported news agency PTI.

The Congress's move comes after a local court nullified the sale deed recently.

When contacted, the minister, who is also the BJP candidate from Raipur Lok Sabha seat, declined to comment, reported PTI.

Citing the court order, state Congress president Deepak Baij on Sunday claimed Agrawal allegedly fraudulently acquired the property, belonging to the state water resources department, in the name of his wife and built a resort there.

The Congress leader demanded registration of a case for forgery against the buyer and seller of the land.

The additional district and sessions judge (I) Mahasamund quashed the sale deed of the land in question in its order dated April 23.

As per the order, six villagers donated their 4.124 hectares of land in Jalki village to the water resources department in 1994 as a part of "daanpatra" (donation for public use) for the construction of a reservoir. However, the land was never used for the intended purpose.

Though the land was acquired by the water resources department, its possession was not changed in the revenue records and its ownership remained in the name of donors, the court said.

In 2009, original owners Vishnu Sahu and two others sold this land to Sarita Agrawal, wife of Brijmohan Agrawal, a native of Ramsagar Para (Raipur).

The court in its order declared the registration of the land purchase null and void since 2009 when the land was purchased and directed the buyer to hand over the possession of land to the plaintiff Mahasamunnd Water Resources Division.

The water resources department had moved the court challenging the 2009 purchase.

"(Brijmohan) Agrawal was then a minister and he was fully aware that the land located around his then under-construction resort was donated to the water resources department," Baij told PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)