Srinagar, Apr 13 (KB): Member of Parliament Ruhullah Mehdi has strongly denied any involvement in a recently surfaced land compensation case, terming the allegations against him as \u201cbaseless\u201d and \u201cpolitically motivated.\u201d The case, which pertains to a land acquisition process from over two decades ago in Jammu and Kashmir\u2019s Bemina-Darbal area, has triggered controversy after an official chargesheet reportedly included Mehdi\u2019s name among the alleged beneficiaries.<\/p>\n
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In a press briefing on Sunday, as per news agency\u2014Kashmir Bulletin (KB) Mehdi expressed his gratitude to the press for attending and clarified his family\u2019s historical connection to the land in question. \u201cThis land belonged to my late grandfather Agha Sahib, and the compensation was given to his heirs like many others in the area. I am the third in the line of inheritance and had no direct role in negotiations or decisions regarding the land,\u201d Mehdi said.<\/p>\n
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The MP, who served as an MLA for 18 years before being elected to the Parliament, emphasized that he was neither issued any notice by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) nor questioned by police or administration over the past two decades. \u201cI only learned about the chargesheet the day it was filed\u2014just like everyone else,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
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According to Mehdi, the land was originally acquired by the government in the early 2000s for the rehabilitation of Dal dwellers. The landowners, including Mehdi\u2019s grandfather\u2019s family, were compensated based on possession and agricultural use. He cited cabinet decisions and surveys that formed the legal basis for the compensation, stating that thousands of kanals in the area were similarly processed.<\/p>\n
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He further disclosed that his personal share, as per inheritance and division among 11 legal heirs, amounted to just Rs 80,000\u2014received nearly 20 years ago. \u201cIf this is what is being called a multi-crore scam, then I welcome the harshest investigation. Bring in not just the ACB, but even the NIA,\u201d he said, urging transparency and a detailed public investigation.<\/p>\n
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Mehdi also criticized the timing and intent behind the allegations. \u201cThis seems like an April Fool\u2019s joke, delayed till April 13,\u201d he remarked, referring to the political overtones of the charges. He suggested that such tactics were aimed at silencing him due to his vocal opposition to the revocation of Article 370 and ongoing human rights concerns in Jammu and Kashmir.<\/p>\n
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Touching upon the broader political climate, Mehdi accused the central government of marginalizing minorities and using legal tools to suppress dissent. \u201cYou can\u2019t silence me with fabricated cases. If you really want me to be silent, restore Article 370, respect minority rights, and return the dignity of Jammu and Kashmir,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n
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Addressing questions about his party\u2019s stance, Mehdi confirmed that there had been no official communication from the National Conference leadership regarding the case. \u201cIf they had spoken to me, they would have known the facts,\u201d he noted, subtly questioning the party\u2019s internal response.<\/p>\n
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The MP concluded by supporting local sentiments in his former assembly constituency, Channapora-Pargam, that it should be represented by a local in the future. \u201cPeople welcomed me with love before, but their demand for a native representative is valid and should be respected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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As political temperatures rise ahead of upcoming elections, Mehdi\u2019s rebuttal adds another layer to the ongoing debates over governance, corruption, and autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir.\u2014 (KB)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Srinagar, Apr 13 (KB): Member of Parliament Ruhullah Mehdi has strongly denied any involvement in a recently surfaced land compensation case, terming the allegations against him as “baseless” and “politically motivated.” The case, which pertains to a land acquisition process from over two decades ago in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bemina-Darbal area, has triggered controversy after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":83108,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-87675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kashmir"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87675"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87676,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87675\/revisions\/87676"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.khushalekashmir.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}