Panaji, Jul 23 (IANS): Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that his government will designate a special court to hear the around 110 land grabbing cases so that the ownership can be reverted to the original owner.

Sawant was replying to BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral during Question Hour in the ongoing assembly session.

A one-man commission headed by retired justice of the Bombay High Court V K Jadhav had in November last year submitted its report on the land grabbing cases to the state government.

According to the Chief Minister in the last 15 to 20 years a land scam was happening and around 110 properties were grabbed of those people who were staying in other countries or of “No man’s land”.

The SIT, which was headed by then Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Nidhin Valsan, was formed in July 2022 to look into complaints of land grabbing and conversion.

Replying to former Law Minister NIlesh Cabral on land grabbing, Sawant said that a special court or district court (single court) will be designated to hear these cases.

“Till now it is not finalised because the process of filing chargesheet is going on. Once it is completed a single court will be designated to hear these cases and the process will be expedited to give justice to the sufferers at the earliest,” Sawant said.

He said that the one-man commission had given around 17 to 18 suggestions and as per that amendments will be brought in this session.

“Six departments have been given suggestions to curb such fraudulent practices of transferring the land. We have taken action against those who were involved in it,” Sawant said.

“Some persons who have lost their land have already approached the High Court to get the possession of their land. My clear stand is that the original owner should get back his/her land at the earliest,” Sawant stated.

He said that even government land has been sold fraudulently. “People should look into the documentation and verify before purchasing land,” he advised.

According to Nilesh Cabral, when the SIT and the ED have already submitted reports about how the accused persons have fraudulently sold the lands of the original owners, there is no need to send these cases to court.

“They have already suffered a lot and should not suffer more by sending the cases to court. It is proved that their land was fraudulently sold. Hence it should be reverted to them. SIT and ED have already proved that frauds have been committed. Don’t send these cases to court as people will have to wait for many years for justice,” Cabral pointed out.