Retired civil servants demand probe into IAS land deal in Madhya Pradesh

By A Representative

A collective of 62 retired civil servants has urged the Madhya Pradesh government to order an impartial judicial inquiry into what they describe as a “highly suspicious” involving officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS).

In an open letter addressed to , the Constitutional Conduct Group (CCG) cited a Dainik Bhaskar report alleging that fifty officers from multiple state cadres purchased 2.023 hectares of agricultural land in , , on April 4, 2022. The transaction was executed through a single registered deed, despite no cooperative society being formed, and recorded at ₹5.50 crore against a market value of ₹7.78 crore.

The letter highlights subsequent developments that allegedly boosted the land’s value: the approval of a in August 2023 skirting the site, and a change in land use from agricultural to residential in June 2024. Prices reportedly escalated from ₹81.75 per sq. ft. in 2022 to ₹2,500–3,000 per sq. ft. in 2026, resulting in an appreciation of ₹50–60 crore.

The signatories questioned whether officers had prior knowledge of the bypass project and the land use change, and why no transparent mechanism such as a cooperative society was adopted. They warned that the episode raises grave concerns about integrity in public service.

Quoting the letter: “Government officers, especially those belonging to the All India Services (AIS), are the ultimate custodians of law, and any aspersion that they are manipulating the law for their personal benefit, must be fully investigated, promptly and impartially.”

The CCG has demanded that a retired High Court judge be appointed to lead the inquiry and that the government impose a blanket stay on any sale or alienation of the land until the investigation concludes. The group stressed that AIS officers must be held to higher standards of probity, even if it means “passing through a trial by fire.”

The Nazia Elahi Khan controversy and the normalisation of hate

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan The registration of two FIRs in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region against BJP Minority Morcha leader and social media influencer Nazia Elahi Khan for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad is not merely another isolated controversy. It is a disturbing reminder of how hate speech and communal provocation have become increasingly normalised in contemporary India.

Congress leader Gohil "misinformed" about the OBC caste status of Modi, contend senior Gujarat academics

Shaktisinh Gohil By A Representative Did senior Gujarat Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil display his poor understanding of the caste system in Gujarat when he declared that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi does not belong to the other backward class (OBC) but to an upper caste? At least two top senior experts, known for their proficiency in sociology and history of Gujarat, have wondered “how could Gohil go so wrong” on Modi’s caste status. Gohil, who all-India Congress spokesperson, has created a ripple by “disclosing” that Modi included his caste, modh ghanchi, into the OBC list three months after he came to power through a government resolution dated January 1, 2002.

Hindu antecedent of Muslim Jinnah: His grandfather was Lohana-Thakkar, said to be Raghuvanshi descent of Lord Ram

By RK Misra* Nearly 70 years after his death, Muhammed Ali Jinnah’s portraits continue to adorn places like Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Bombay High Court and Sabarmati Ashram in India. On the other hand, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry building’s foundation stone states that it was laid by Mahatma Gandhi in 1934.

Counterview

Search This Blog