Acting on a criminal petition, the court today issued notices to the secretaries of Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Rural Development (Land Reforms). A division bench, comprising Justices Usha Mehra and Mukul Mudgul, also issued notice to the Delhi Government through the Deputy Commissioner of Police (north-west revenue district).

The petitioner, Shiv Kumar, alleged that 87 bighas and 14 biswas of agricultural land at Kirari Suleman Nagar village, which comes under the Sultanpuri Police Station, had been given to 24 allotees for agricultural purposes and ostensibly to help out landless persons.

The land had earlier been declared surplus under certain provisions of the Delhi Land Holdings (Ceiling) Act, 1960. The allotees were given possession of the land on February 18, 1984.

The petitioner alleged that thanks to a conspiracy hatched by a local resident, Dharam Raj -- with the collusion of the local police, politicians, property dealers, ``musclemen'' and other influential persons of the village -- the three bighas and five biswas of land was handed over to Rajinder Singh, an MCD employee, though he was not entitled to the land.

The petitioner also claimed that the basic objective of the allotment was thus ``frustrated'' as the land had allegedly been turned into an unauthorised colony. The plot now houses more than 700 houses constructed illegally.

Seeking action against the culprits, Shiv Ram wrote a letter to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. But nothing was done, he later stated.

Moreover, a case was registered with the Sultanpuri Police Station on March 14, 1996.

The investigation was entrusted to ASI Satya Narain, but, the petitioner alleges, no action was taken as the policeman ``happened to be related to one of the accused, Ved Prakash''.

The petitioner further alleged that a three-member committee, comprising ACP Prem Nath, Inspector Om Prakash and ASI Hari Kishan, had inquired into the matter handed over to them by the Vigilance Cell of the Delhi Police. But even this inquiry was ``hushed up'' at the instance of Master Azad Singh, brother of former Delhi chief minister Sahib Singh Verma.

``The fact that the local police has a nexus with the accused persons is corroborated by an incident which took place on September 22, 1998.'' The petitioner states that on that day he was threatened with dire consequences. He was reportedly told he would be implicated in a ``false'' criminal case if he did not desist from pursuing the case.