In a landmark judicial intervention protecting the rights of marginalized communities, the Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court has completely nullified the illegal sales, gift deeds, registries, and structural transfers of 184 plots originally reserved for the nomadic Gadia Lohar community in Bhilwara. Presiding over a petition concerning the housing scheme located at Keer Kheda, the division bench delivered a strict verdict against systemic exploitation. The court ruled that administrative guidelines from the 'Administration with Cities' campaign were intentionally misinterpreted to illicitly transfer non-transferable welfare lands to non-eligible, wealthy buyers, rendering all associated revenue entries completely void.Influential Politicians Implicated: High Court Demands Strict Fact Finding Inquiry Within Six MonthsThe legal challenge, brought forward by petitioner councillors Rajesh Singh Sisodiya and Pankaj Garg through Advocate Gaurav Shrimali, exposed how influential local figures systematically targeted vulnerable families. The petition alleged that multiple affluent buyers, including close family members of the then Municipal Council Chairman and current Bhilwara Mayor Rakesh Pathak, purchased these reserved plots at throwaway prices from poor allottees before using bureaucratic loopholes to transfer ownership. Viewing these exploitative allegations with extreme seriousness, the High Court has directed the Department of Autonomous Governance and the Regional Deputy Director to launch an independent, impartial, and high-level fact-finding investigation into the mayor's family and involved bureaucrats, mandating a final report submission within six months.Reversing Revenue Mutations: State Orders Swift 30 Day Compliance To Protect Marginalized AllotteesTo ensure immediate corrective action, the division bench has explicitly ordered full compliance with its directives within a strict 30-day timeline. The judiciary clarified that any land transfer executed outside the boundaries of the original Gadia Lohar community holds absolutely no legal validity, ordering that the disputed properties immediately vest back into the hands of the original tribal allottees, the local municipal body, or the state government. While all fraudulent land mutations and official revenue records generated from these transactions have been instantly wiped out, the High Court noted that deceived buyers retain the independent right to pursue civil recovery of their funds through separate legal channels.Upholding Constitutional Values: Court Rebukes The Commercial Exploitation Of Welfare SchemesBeyond the immediate property cancellations, the Rajasthan High Court used the judgment to deliver a profound message regarding the sanctity of social welfare initiatives. The bench observed that utilizing state schemes designed for the socio-economic upliftment of weaker sections for personal real estate profit or speculative land businesses is a direct violation of constitutional values. By setting this precedent, the judiciary has reinforced strict legal barriers against the predatory acquisition of tribal and nomadic lands, signaling a zero-tolerance policy toward administrative corruption that compromises the welfare of underprivileged Indian citizens.
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