Hyderabad Mukhtiarkar suspended over bribery allegations

HYDERABAD: Revenue officials on Friday protested against the city mukhtiarkar outside the Hyderabad Press Club. They alleged that a vast bribery system had been running under the patronage of the mukhtiarkar, and money was being illegally collected for issuance of certificate and registration.

Later, on the orders of Hyderabad Deputy Commissioner (DC) Zainul Aabdin, an additional deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner reached the mukhtiarkar's office to take action.

As a result of their action, a man, Muhammad Shah, allegedly an accomplice of Mukhtiarkar Irfan Shah, was taken into custody.

According to a statement issued by the DC’s office, the Mukhtiarkar declared junior clerk Waseem Abbasi responsible for a raid and relieved him, on which revenue employees stopped work in protest and reached the DC’s office to lodge complaint against Irfan.

The DC office claimed that citizens and lawyers had filed complaints with Additional Deputy Commissioner Gada Hussain Soomro and Assistant Commissioner Babar Saleh Rahopoto against bribe collection.

It was alleged that Rs20,000 was being charged by the Mukhtiarkar for the issuance of a sale certificate that was issued for a few hundred rupees.

On Saturday, the secretary of the revenue department issued a notification to announce suspension of the Mukhtiarkar. According to the notification, a charge sheet will also be filed against Mukhtiarkar.