Hastinapur sanctuary land grab: Court cancels 547 leases

MUZAFFARNAGAR (UTTAR PRADESH): Cancelling over five hundred leases of the Hastinapur sanctuary land, a local court here has directed revenue officials to register the property as government land, authorities said today.

The revenue court yesterday declared as "illegal" the allotment of 547 leases, comprising 6,000 bigha of land, to 480 people and ruled that the land cannot be allocated on lease, Additional District Magistrate Ramkishan Sharma said.

Several people, including revenue clerks, have been booked by the police after cases were registered against them on charges of grabbing government land worth several crores at Hastinapur sanctuary in the district.