Surat: Varachha police have registered an FIR against a man accused of allegedly forging documents to establish himself as a farmer and claim tenant-farmer (ganotiya) status over land worth crores of rupees belonging to the Surat Parsi Panchayat in Karanj.The complaint was filed by Dr Homi Dudhvala (72), president of the Surat Parsi Panchayat, who runs Hope Clinic in Shahpor. According to the complaint, the accused, Dinsha Kawasji Ghadiyali, relied on the will of a deceased caretaker of the panchayat’s properties to seek the substitution of his name in pending tenancy proceedings before the revenue authorities.The panchayat had appointed Minorach Saurabkhan as caretaker of its properties in Umarwada and Karanj. After his death, his son, Behramsha Saurabkhan, took over the responsibility. Behramsha died in 2005.Police said a will executed by Behramsha in Dec 2004 referred to arrangements for the supervision of the two properties and stated that a share of the proceeds from his movable assets was to be given to his relative, Ghadiyali, a resident of Piplod.Behramsha had initiated proceedings before the mamlatdar and Agricultural Lands Tribunal seeking recognition as a tenant of the panchayat’s Karanj land. Following his death, Ghadiyali sought to substitute his name in the proceedings on the strength of the will.During the proceedings, Ghadiyali submitted a 7/12 extract for agricultural land in Kotiya village of Mahuva taluka in Bhavnagar district to establish that he qualified as a farmer.The complaint alleges that he fabricated an affidavit claiming that his father, Kawasji, was the fourth son of Chhababhai Amrabhai Thakor, a farmer from Badpur village in Dehgam taluka of Gandhinagar district.According to Dudhvala, Chhababhai already had three sons— Bakaji, Parbatsang and Pruthvisinh. Despite this, Ghadiyali introduced another son, Kawasbhai Chhababhai, into the family record and prepared an affidavit falsely establishing his father’s connection to the family.He allegedly identified his mother, Khorsadben, as Kawasbhai’s widow and used the affidavit to secure a succession entry through the village talati. This, the complaint stated, has enabled him to obtain a 7/12 extract showing him as a farmer.The complaint further alleged that Ghadiyali used the land record obtained through the disputed succession documents to purchase agricultural land in Kotiya village through a registered sale deed.Investigators are also examining allegations that, after obtaining the agricultural land records, he had his name removed from the Badpur land in Dehgam while retaining the Kotiya land record.Ghadiyali submitted a copy of the Kotiya village 7/12 extract before the Agricultural Lands Tribunal as evidence of his farmer status in support of his bid to establish tenancy rights over the Surat Parsi Panchayat’s Karanj property.Varachha police have registered a case involving allegations of forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy, among other offences, and are investigating the matter further.
