Khandwa patwari suspended after 51 public properties found in his name

A patwari in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district has been suspended after more than 50 properties — among them village commons, a bus-stand platform and land where a community hall was under construction — were found recorded in his and his wife's names.

Rajesh Mandloi, previously posted in Kolgaon, and his wife Manisha were listed as owners of 51 properties prepared under the Swamitva land-rights scheme. Of these, 48 stood in Mandloi's name and three in his wife's.

The discrepancy surfaced after the scheme's property list was made public and villagers began checking ownership entries. A revenue inquiry confirmed irregularities, leading to Mandloi's suspension.

Khandwa Collector Rishabh Gupta said the administration received information that a patwari had entered plots in his own and his family's names. "The matter was investigated and the complaint was found to be correct, following which the patwari was suspended and a departmental inquiry initiated," he said.

District officials said the suspension followed a report by the Naib Tehsildar of the Jawar revenue circle. Mandloi was suspended with immediate effect under Rule 9 of the Madhya Pradesh Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1966.

Among the disputed entries is a plot where the Balahi community had begun building a ceremonial hall; work had reached the plinth stage before it was halted. A residential property belonging to a villager named Baliram was also allegedly recorded in Mandloi's name under survey number 530.

Officials said the discrepancies had been flagged during the preparation of residential land records in 2023-24, when the former village sarpanch raised the issue with the then patwari and was assured the records would be corrected. The matter resurfaced after the Swamitva list was released.

Following a complaint, the current patwari, Rakesh Patel, verified the relevant survey numbers and compared the records with properties actually used by residents.

In Kolgaon, 935 property titles were prepared under the scheme. The case has raised questions about how the disputed entries passed through the various stages of preparing and approving rural property records.

Under the Swamitva process, rural residential areas are surveyed and records prepared before claims and objections are invited. The exercise involves the sarpanch, secretary, patwari and other village-level members, with the draft examined by the revenue officer concerned before final approval.

The departmental inquiry is expected to establish how the 51 entries were created, who verified them and whether other officials were involved in preparing or approving the records.