SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has imposed a penalty of censure on a revenue official for allegedly attesting two land mutations in violation of revenue laws, following a departmental inquiry into the disputed transfer of rights over land in Gole village of Jammu district.
According to an order issued by the Financial Commissioner (Revenue) on October 7, 2026, Mushtaq Ahmad, the then Naib Tehsildar of Gole and now a Girdawar attached to the Regional Director, Survey and Land Records, Doda, was penalised over mutations numbered 2374 and 2470, attested in November 2018 and February 2019, respectively.
The two mutations were challenged by Rajeshwar Sabharwal before the Financial Commissioner (Revenue)/Commissioner Agrarian Reforms. In an order dated May 2, 2024, the authority set aside both mutations, holding that the Jammu and Kashmir Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976, was not applicable to evacuee land and that the recorded occupant had not been summoned when the mutations were attested.
The authority had also directed disciplinary action against Ahmad and the then Patwari, Bashir Ahmad, who had entered the relevant details in the mutation records.
During the subsequent departmental proceedings, Mushtaq Ahmad denied the allegations and disputed the authenticity of the signatures attributed to him. His written defence, submitted on February 28, 2025, was found unsatisfactory.
An inquiry was conducted by Rajesh Kumar, JKAS, Assistant Commissioner (Revenue), Jammu, who was appointed Inquiry Officer in September 2025. The inquiry report, submitted in February 2026, concluded that the official’s denial could not be accepted at face value, noting that the disputed signatures appeared similar to those on other mutations attested by him.
The inquiry officer found that Ahmad had failed to maintain absolute honesty and integrity in the discharge of his official duties and recommended penal action under the applicable service rules.
After examining the findings, the competent authority imposed the penalty of censure under Rule 30 of the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1956.
The order further directs that Ahmad’s case be placed before the departmental suspension review committee. It also states that, upon reinstatement, he shall not be assigned any field posting for three years.
