Delhi L-G recommends suspension of former ADM over illegal land transfer

Lieutenant-governor VK Saxena has recommended the suspension of a Delhi government official, a former additional district magistrate (ADM) (north) of the revenue department, over alleged irregularities in the transfer of forest land to private individuals in north Delhi, the L-G’s office said on Friday.

Last month, five officers, including an ADM, two SDMs (subdivisional magistrates), a sub-registrar and a deputy secretary of Delhi government, were suspended on the directions of the L-G for their alleged involvement in land-related irregularities in north and south Delhi.

“L-G has approved initiation of major penalty proceedings and recommended to MHA the suspension of Nitin Jindal (DANICS), then ADM (North) under the revenue department of the government of Delhi. Jindal has been charged with illegally transferring the forest department land located in village Zindpur under north district to private individuals in March 2021,” an official from L-G office said, asking not to be named.

“The directorate of vigilance has prima facie found grave misconduct by the officer concerned, who wilfully ignored established ownership of the land with the forest department, upheld time and again by different orders of the financial commissioner as well as the high court, and transferred the said land illegally on the basis of a much inferior ADJ court for extraneous considerations,” the official said.

Jindal faces the charges of “receiving huge pecuniary benefits” by “abusing his official powers” in illegally and blatantly transferring the said land, which is valued at crores of rupees, the official said.