Angul, July 6: The vigilance department has filed a criminal case against former tehsildar Ramachandra Jena for illegally settling valuable urban land in favour of some moneyed men of the town.

Apart from the former tehsildar, an amin Brahma Sankar Chaulia and record keeper Ganeswar Pradhan working in the local tehsil office, were also booked in the case for their complicity in illegal settlement of government land, according to vigilance department source.

While the two tehsil employees were suspended by the district collector, Jena was earlier transferred to Gajapati district and subsequently suspended in March on the basis of Angul collector’s report.

“We have registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code in the vigilance court in Cuttack recently against these three officials for giving pattas relating to urban lands to some people in the town violating rules. The tehsildar has no power in settling urban land in any one’s favour, but he has done so bypassing all rules,” said investigating officer Prakash Chandra Pal. Jena had joined as Angul tehsildar in 2009.

On receipt of a public petition, district collector D.V. Swamy had constituted an inquiry committee, headed by additional district magistrate Debraj Senapati, to probe into the allegations.

The panel had found irregularities in land settlement involving crores of rupees.

The vigilance, which had also began a parallel investigation into the matter suo motto, found prima facie evidence against these three and sought the government’s permission to prosecute the three officers, said Pal.

“Our investigation found that as many as 14 plots worth about Rs 2 crore in the town have been illegally allotted to some people violating the rules. Further investigations are on to unearth more details of land sale in the town by the officer,” said Pal.

The district authorities have initiated steps to cancel the land pattas illegally issued by the then tehsildar.