Shah Rukh Khan accused of property rule violation

Authorities in Raigad district adjoining Mumbai have issued a notice to Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan over alleged violation of purchase norms for agricultural land, an official said on Wednesday.

“Raigad district Collector Dr Vijay Suryawanshi has issued notice to Shah Rukh Khan for alleged violation of conditions of permission granted to purchase land,” a senior district official told PTI.

The notice pertains to the 19,960-square-metre land bought by Deja Vu Farms for agricultural use, but which now consists of a bungalow with a swimming pool and a private helipad, the official, who did not want to be identified, said.

“The district collector had given permission for agri purpose and Deja Vu Farms constructed a bungalow. This is a clear violation,” the official said. The bungalow is purportedly owned by Khan.

The notice to the actor has been issued under section 84CC of the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, the official said.

Section 84CC pertains to disposal of land transfer or acquisition which is invalid for breach of conditions, he said.

As per this section, when the Collector has reason to believe that there has been a breach of any of the conditions subject to which permission to transfer land was granted, a notice can be issued, he said.

The bungalow along the Thal seafront in Alibaug was among the 87 properties on which the Raigad Collector’s office had sought legal opinion for taking action for alleged Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) violations, the official said.

“The bungalow is technically owned by Deja Vu Farms Pvt Ltd in the name of Moreshwar Asgaonkar. Legal opinion was sought from the district government pleader through Alibaug sub-divisional officer on options available to take action,” the official said.

“A wall of the bungalow was demolished and an FIR lodged with Alibaug police in 2015 for CRZ violations,” he said.

Deja Vu farms Pvt Ltd allegedly took unsecured loans of Rs84 million (Dh4.8 million) from Khan to purchase the land, the official said.

“The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016, says a benami property is one that has been paid for, or considered paid by another person and may be provisionally attached and confiscated, and the owner faces seven years of imprisonment and a fine of up to 25 per cent of the property value,” the official said.

Alibaug-based RTI activist Surendra Dhavale last year approached Khar police station in Mumbai about the farmhouse matter. While no FIR was lodged, police forwarded the matter to the Raigad district Collector’s office for verification, the official said.