The Bench of Justice Rajesh Shankar of Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday issued notice to Jharkhand Government regarding the land dispute in the extended family of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
The court has listed the matter for hearing on September 22. The court passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Himendra Nath Tagore on July 31 this year.
The notice was issued to Ranchi DC, Ranchi Land Reform Deputy Collector and Circle Officer of Bargain land revenue circle besides Sunando Tagore.
The petitioner alleged that his ancestor had purchased about six acres of land under Sadar police station area of Ranchi district through two sale deeds namely in 1909 and 1929. He claimed that after Zamindari was vested in undivided Bihar in 1949 through Zamindari Abolition Act; his ancestor got their name registered in the land record as rightful owner of the said land. He said that right from the beginning they were paying tax to the government till 2012. After Jharkhand was formed the opposite party Sunando Tagore allegedly tempered land records and claimed the ownership.
Land was purchased in the name of the mother of Ridindranath Tagore and Hemendranath is the grandson of Ridindranath. In the 1932 land survey Ridindranath is shown as the owner of the said land. Himendra paid land tax till 2012 till Ranchi LRDC deleted Himendra as the rightful owner of the land.
“The LRDC acted on the basis of a complaint lodged by the opposite party who tempered original land records. They also got certified copies of the tempered land records which the DCLR trusted as true and passed the order. DCLR too has committed procedural lapses while giving a faulty decision,” said lawyer Rajendra Krishna who appeared on behalf of Himendra.
He said that Himendra also possesses the certified copy of the land record issued in 1962 the name and other details of the owner is correctly given.
“The petitioner and defendant seem to belong to the extended family of Rabindranath Tagore. The court will examine the family tree once required. The fact that documents were manipulated has been proved so we have approached the High court for correction and restoration of ownership right,’ said the lawyer.