Bachchan has committed another fraud: UP govt

In a revelation which may have a bearing on the outcome of Amitabh Bachhan's legal battle against cancellation of allotment of farmland, the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday alleged that the megastar had committed another fraud by giving a wrong home address.

The UP government counsel D K Upadhya made this submission before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad high court while opposing Bachchan's petition challenging the cancellation of allotment of farmland in Daulatpur village in Barabanki district.

A Faizabad court had last Friday quashed the allotment order saying it was done through fraudulent means.

Justice D P Singh reserved his order on the maintainability of the petition after hearing lengthy arguments made by Upadhya and Bachchan's counsel Mukul Rohtagi, a senior Supreme Court lawyer.

Upadhya submitted that Bachchan was not a resident of "17, Clive Road, Allahabad" as furnished in the petition as well at the time of the entry of his name in the village revenue records in 1983.

In fact, Amitabh's father Harivanshrai Bachchan lived as a tenant at 17, Clive Road, Allahabad till 1958 after which the house owner sold the property to a lawyer S S Tewari, he submitted.

"This goes to show that Bachchan had committed another fraud by showing a wrong address," he alleged.

Upadhya submitted that a "clear cut fraud" was committed in the transfer of land and pleaded for the petition to be dismissed with costs.

Rohtagi argued that his client was not provided an opportunity of being heard in the matter by the commissioner's court.

Rohtagi said the Faizabad Additional Commissioner V S Prasad had exceeded his jurisdiction by going into the merits of the case whereas he was only to decide upon a technical point.

He said Bachchan was not even given an opportunity of being heard before the matter was decided, which was a "gross violation of the principles of natural justice."

Upadhya however pleaded that the petition was not maintainable as the commissioner's court had full jurisdiction to hear the matter.

The Faizabad court had also quashed the stay order given n April 26, 2006, by District Magistrate R Sahu who took over subsequently. He directed to Barabanki district administration to vest the land transferred in Bachchan's name to the gram sabha of Daulatpur.