📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Muhammad Saddam Hussein
Crime
Bihar: 50‑Year‑Old Land Record Tampered, FIR Issued Against Officials in West Champaran
✍️ Amar Ujala · Muzaffarpur
🗓 18 Oct 2026, 02:36 AM
👁 19
A 50‑year‑old jamabandi in Betia block, West Champaran, was allegedly nullified without court order and re‑registered in another name, prompting a police FIR and summons to the DM, ADM and Circle Officer.
West Champaran district’s Betia block has become the focus of a land‑record controversy after a 50‑year‑old jamabandi was reportedly erased from the system and re‑entered in the name of another individual. The alteration is said to have been carried out online without any direction from a competent court, violating established land‑record procedures.
Local residents and land‑revenue officials discovered the discrepancy when they attempted to verify ownership details. According to the complaint, the original jamabandi, which had been in force for five decades, was declared null and a fresh entry was made in the name of a different person, raising questions about the legitimacy of the transaction.
Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the officials alleged to have facilitated the tampering. The FIR specifically directs the District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate and the Circle Officer to appear before the investigating officer and provide explanations for the irregularities.
The incident underscores persistent challenges in the digitisation of land records in Bihar, where procedural lapses can lead to disputes over property rights and erode public confidence in the revenue administration.
Local residents and land‑revenue officials discovered the discrepancy when they attempted to verify ownership details. According to the complaint, the original jamabandi, which had been in force for five decades, was declared null and a fresh entry was made in the name of a different person, raising questions about the legitimacy of the transaction.
Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the officials alleged to have facilitated the tampering. The FIR specifically directs the District Magistrate, Additional District Magistrate and the Circle Officer to appear before the investigating officer and provide explanations for the irregularities.
The incident underscores persistent challenges in the digitisation of land records in Bihar, where procedural lapses can lead to disputes over property rights and erode public confidence in the revenue administration.