IAS officer Abhishek Prakash, currently suspended in connection with the Bhatgaon land acquisition scam in Lucknow, has been chargesheeted by the Revenue Department. The charge sheet has been sent to the Department of Appointments and Personnel, which will now forward it to Abhishek Prakash.
The charges are based on an inquiry report by Rajneesh Dubey, the then Chairman of the Board of Revenue. The report holds Abhishek Prakash, who was serving as the District Magistrate (DM) of Lucknow and Chairman of the Land Purchase Committee at the time, responsible for serious lapses.
The investigation revealed that compensation was awarded based on fake land leases. Under Section 76(3) of the Revenue Code, land that was non-transferable was wrongly converted into transferable land within five years, which is a violation of the rules. Additionally, land belonging to Scheduled Caste leaseholders was illegally allowed to be sold to non-SC individuals by concealing facts and violating regulations.
The report further alleges that compensation was given for Gram Sabha land as part of a deliberate conspiracy. As the Chairman of the Purchase Committee, Abhishek Prakash is accused of failing to discharge his responsibilities properly.
Senior officials have confirmed that the Department of Appointments will now serve the chargesheet to Abhishek Prakash.
