Hisar bar body protests after lawyer claims bribe demand for land registration

Hisar: The Hisar District Bar Association on Tuesday staged a protest, demanding action against Uklana naib tehsildar and a registry clerk. The two have been accused of demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from a lawyer in lieu of processing a land registration.
The layers struck work, disrupting court proceedings. As a result, a number of litigants had to suffer.
Notably, about a week ago, advocate Dushyant Nain, a resident of Litani village in Hisar district, filed a formal complaint against naib tehsildar Rahul Rathi and registry clerk Vikram at Uklana police station.
Nain alleged that the two demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh in exchange for processing a land registration and when the bribe was not paid, the registration was denied.
Nain said on April 8, he visited the office of the naib tehsildar to register land on behalf of Girdhar Gopal Builder and Developer NNP firm. When my token number was called, registry clerk Vikram pointed out flaws in the paperwork and claimed that the naib tehsildar refused to process the registry, he said.
When Nain and the firm's partners questioned the decision, they were not given a clear explanation. Shortly thereafter, clerk Vikram reportedly returned from the naib tehsildar's office and demanded Rs 5 lakh to proceed with the registration.
Nain further alleged that he along with firm partners Kulbir, Anil, and others tried to raise the issue with the naib tehsildar directly. However, we were abused and physically pushed out of the office, said the complainant lawyer.
Rathi allegedly warned them not to return to his office and claimed he had deep connections within the govt. Nain also stated that he was threatened with financial loss if the bribe was not paid, including the cancellation or nullification of stamp duty already purchased for the transaction.
Rathi, meanwhile, dismissed the allegations against him as entirely baseless. He said the issue arose due to deficiencies in the documents submitted for the land registration. "When we asked for the rectification, the advocate and his associates created a ruckus and even issued threats," said Rathi.
No bribe was ever demanded. The situation escalated only after procedural requirements were pointed out, he added.
Uklana police station in-charge Amit Kumar confirmed that complaints were received from both parties. "The advocate alleged that the registry was denied due to a bribe demand and subsequent abuse, while the naib tehsildar accused the lawyer and his associates of misbehaviour," said Kumar. "We are looking into both complaints," he added.
MSID:: 120313478 413 |