Mohali: The prosecution case in the long-pending Thein Dam, also known as Ranjit Sagar Dam, land acquisition matter fell apart after a court acquitted all 19 accused, including beneficiaries and govt officials, finding that allegations of manipulation of land records and conspiracy to claim excess compensation were not proved.The prosecution relied primarily on an alleged discrepancy in the recorded land area. According to the challan, the land measured 1,938 kanals 10 marlas, but while translating the 1953-54 Jamabandi from Urdu to Punjabi in 1967-68, the area was allegedly recorded as 10,938 kanals, resulting in an excess entry of around 9,000 kanals. The prosecution alleged that beneficiaries, in connivance with govt officials, subsequently obtained excess compensation during acquisition for the dam.The court, however, found that the alleged conspiracy was not established, particularly as the acquisition process began only in 1987, around 20 years after the disputed Jamabandi entries. The defence argued that the beneficiaries could not have known in 1967-68 that the land would eventually be acquired for the dam.Some of the beneficiaries facing trial were not even born when the disputed entries were allegedly made. The names included Inderjeet Singh, Chaman Singh, Swaran Singh, Gulshan Singh and Dev Raj. The principal investigating officer admitted during cross-examination on Jan 23, 2025, that these persons were born after 1967. A total of 84 prosecution witnesses were examined.The court also considered a report by then SDM Dhar Kalan Ajoy Sharma, which stated that the area recorded in the Aug 13, 1966 mutation was 12,127 kanals 10 marlas. The report said the change in the area of Khasra No. 1 of Tika Shamlat Gulial had occurred while preparing either the 1962-63 or 1957-58 Jamabandi.The defence produced revenue official Fateh Singh, who said a recent Fard-Badar had been prepared on the Deputy Commissioner’s directions, showing the area as 938 kanals. He admitted during cross-examination that no physical measurement had been conducted and the correction was based solely on the DC’s orders.The defence also argued that physical verification was impossible as the area had been submerged under the dam reservoir since 2001.The prosecution’s allegation that private landowners received around Rs 1.27 crore in compensation belonging to the Gram Panchayat was also contested, with the defence pointing out that the Panchayat had already challenged the matter before the Sessions Court.The alleged translation error was another key issue. The defence argued there was no Urdu Jamabandi for 1967-68 to establish that an error occurred during translation. Several prosecution witnesses admitted that Punjabi had become the official language of Punjab. Records from the Sadar Kanungo office, Gurdaspur, showed the 1967-68 Jamabandi in Punjabi.With the prosecution failing to establish that the alleged discrepancy in revenue records resulted from a criminal conspiracy between beneficiaries and officials, the court acquitted all 19 accused.
