Tough times ahead for Bachchan

UP government on Amitabh Bachchan's tail in land fraud case.

12 June, 2007:

Though the Allahabad High Court has admitted Amitabh Bachchan’s petition to quash the Faizabad court’s order canceling his ownership of a farmland in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, the actor has little reason to feel relieved.

The Uttar Pradesh government, headed by Mayawati, has already declared that the High Court’s order will only work in its favour.

The government has not only made a list of some tough questions for Amitabh Bachchan to answer but also says the High Court’s verdict gives it more time to get additional evidence against the actor.

It was on June 8, 2007, that the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court admitted Amitabh Bachchan’s petition challenging the Faizabad court’s order of June 1.

The Faizabad court had termed the acquisition of farmland by the Amitabh Bachchan in Barabanki as fraudulent and had declared that he was no farmer.

The Allahabad High Court has asked Amitabh Bachchan to explain his ownership of the piece of land. It has also given the Uttar Pradesh government four weeks to file its counter-affidavit, after which the actor would get two weeks to file his rejoinder in court.

The next date of hearing in the case is July 23, 2007.

The Uttar Pradesh government’s lawyers say that they will get four weeks of valuable time to file their counter-affidavit before the court during which they will gather enough evidence to prove that Amitabh Bachchan is guilty.

According to Devendra Upadhyay, the government’s chief standing counsel, the burden now lies on Amitabh Bachchan to prove as to where he draws the title of the land from.

Some of the important questions raised by the Uttar Pradesh government, which Amitabh Bachchan will have to answer in court are:

How can Bachchan claims ownership of the Gram Samaj Land that is meant only for poor and landless Dalit farmers?

Why did Bachchan mention his residential address as 17, Clive Road, Allahabad, when his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan stayed there as a tenant only till 1958?

Why was the land not entered in the tehsil and lekhpal records?