Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is going to conduct an investigation regarding selling the properties of Ahilya Bai Holkar. After the High Court order, Shivraj Chauhan has given instructions for an investigation but meanwhile, the new revelation is that the Shivraj government had already got a whiff of this case in 2012.
CM Shivraj Chauhan was notified of this case by a letter from the then MP of Indore, Sumitra Mahajan.
The CM had asked his Principal Secretary to investigate the matter following which Manoj Srivastav submitted a report to the government on 2 November 2012.
If this report is considered as a base, it said that the problems in the Khasgi Trust had been going on since 1972 i.e., around 50 years back.
If we go deeper into the matter related to more than 12,000 acres of land, more than 250 temples and the daily income arising from them, then on 22 April 1948, in Central India, an affidavit was signed by the Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar of Indore in which he agreed to the terms set by the Central Indian Government and Madhya Pradesh.
Also read: Encounter breaks out between terrorists and security forces in J-K
All the special property and income were attached to the Central Indian Government on 18 August, 1948. It was decided to transfer the revenue of Rs 2,91,952. Under this, a trust would be found which would be responsible for maintaining the properties.
A study of the investigation report of Manoj Srivastava shows that the disturbance started with a supplementary deed of trust on 1 March 1972, but it was actually started on 27 July 1962 based on a gazette claim.
Through the supplementary deed introduced on March 1, 1972, the trust was relieved from Section 36 (1) A.
Section 36 (1) A states that the administration of public trust shall be under the state’s local administration, but through this supplementary deed, the trust relieved itself form control of the state government.
According to Manoj Shrivastava, a trust cannot get arbitrary rights through this supplementary deed. In such a situation the trust controlled by the government depended on the arbitrariness of the trustees. But in a way, this deed was wrongly demanded, because it could be valid only if permission from Madhya Pradesh and the Government of India.
According to Manoj Shrivastava's Gazette of 27 July 1962, the Trust's claim is also considered as the basis of that scam.
Also read: Kerala girl sings Himachali song, gets invite from CM Jairam Thakur
On the basis of the state letter dated 27 July 1962, the trust claims that recognition has been given to transfer the field and institute questions included in the deed. When Central India was built, the commissioner used to oversee and arrange all the properties of the Holkar household. On the basis of this gazette, permission was given to transfer the property belonging to the commissioner's office to Khasagi and Alampur Trust which was transferred on 16 July 1962.
Therefore, there are two major aspects of this report, which shows that on the basis of these supplementary deeds and the Gazette, the fight for division of the trust's lands had started. He then asked the government to investigate it in detail and in 2012 the report was submitted to the government.
An investigation was yet to start on the matter. Now, the EOW has started the process of investigating it after the High Court’s order.
