Maharashtra govt orders 'comprehensive' probe into missionary land holdings, their transfer

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday said it will conduct a "comprehensive" probe within three months into the land parcels currently held by the Church and Christian missionary institutions that were transferred under "suspicious circumstances" post Independence.

State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule made an announcement to this effect in the state legislative assembly.

Responding to a calling attention motion moved by Devyani Pharande (BJP) , Bawankule said a high-level committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner would be constituted to examine the issue and resolve the long-pending dispute involving the Nashik Diocesan Trust Association Limited, which has affected around 5,000 families in Nashik.


The minister said the committee would include representatives of the Settlement Commissioner, the Divisional Commissioner, the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) department and the police.

Pharande alleged that land originally granted by the British government for schools, colleges and hospitals run by Christian institutions had been transferred to private hands through manipulation of records after the death of the original trustees.

She also claimed that residents were being forced to pay large sums to obtain no-objection certificates (NOCs) from a private company for construction and property transactions, and alleged that land records and files dating back to pre-1932 period had gone missing from the district administration.

Bawankule said that although the matter is pending before the Bombay High Court, there is no bar on the government conducting an administrative inquiry to safeguard citizens' rights.

He said the committee would verify records maintained by the Settlement Commissioner and investigate church missionary lands not only in Nashik but also in Nandgaon, Aurangabad and other parts of Maharashtra, and submit a detailed report within three months.

A comprehensive probe would be conducted into the lands held by missionary institutions and transferred under suspicious circumstances post Independence, Bawankule said.

The government would examine whether land transactions that allegedly deviated from their original public purpose could be legally reviewed and whether such land could be restored to government ownership, he said.

The functioning of the private company concerned would be investigated by the police and the Charity Commissioner's office, while a special government counsel would be appointed to effectively represent the state's case before the High Court, Bawankule added.