by THO
The Supreme Court-appointed special investigation team (SIT) on Tuesday initiated its probe into the alleged Noida land compensation fraud, collecting details from the Noida authority’s office in Sector 6. The investigation follows the Supreme Court’s January 23, 2025, order mandating a deeper inquiry into irregular compensation payments to ineligible individuals.
A bench of justices Surya Kant and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh formed the three-member SIT from a list provided by the Uttar Pradesh additional advocate general. The panel comprises SB Shiradkar (Additional General of Police, Lucknow Zone), Modak Rajesh D Rao (inspector general, Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department, Lucknow), and Hemant Kutiyal (Commandant, UP Special Range Security Battalion, Gautam Buddh Nagar). The SIT has two months to submit its report to the Supreme Court in a sealed cover.
The investigation aims to determine whether excessive compensation was paid beyond the amounts entitled under court rulings, officials said. The SIT will also identify officials responsible for any unauthorised payments and probe potential collusion between Noida authority officials and beneficiaries. Additionally, the team will assess whether the authority’s overall functioning lacked transparency and accountability, they added.
“No coercive or penal action should be taken against landowners without prior permission from the Supreme Court,” the court ruled, ensuring protection for farmers who received the disputed compensation.
The case stems from a bail plea filed by Noida authority’s legal advisor Dinesh Kumar Singh and law officer Virendra Singh Nagar. They were booked in 2021 for allegedly approving fraudulent compensation claims, leading to unauthorised payments of ₹7.26 crore. The Supreme Court on Tuesday noted that the issue was not an isolated incident but indicative of a broader pattern of excessive compensation payments. “Prima facie, the entire Noida (authority) setup appears to be involved. In such circumstances, it appears necessary to refer the matter to an independent agency for a deeper probe to uncover the truth,” the bench observed.
Lokesh M, chief executive officer of the Noida authority confirmed the authority’s cooperation with the SIT. “The Noida Authority is providing the details related to the case to the SIT as per the court order,” he said.
Earlier, the Uttar Pradesh government had formed a three-member committee led by Hemant Rao, chairman of the UP Board of Revenue, to investigate compensation payments. However, the Supreme Court was dissatisfied with its report, stating it failed to scrutinise the role of Noida authority officers. The report found that ₹117 crore had been paid over 15 years to ineligible individuals based on false agreements but mentioned only Dinesh Kumar Singh and Virendra Singh Nagar as responsible. The court questioned the limited scope of accountability, suspecting wider collusion within the authority.
