In a significant ruling, a Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in Sanand convicted Raman Patel, the owner of Popular Builders, in a nearly three-decade-old case involving fraudulent land transactions in Chekhla village near Ahmedabad. The court sentenced Patel to four years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹1.40 lakh. Out of this amount, ₹1 lakh has been ordered to be paid as compensation to the descendants of the original landowner who was allegedly duped by Patel and his associates.
According to the prosecution, Raman Patel, along with eight others including his younger brother Dashrath Patel, was found guilty of forgery and criminal conspiracy. The case pertains to two plots of ancestral land measuring about 62,500 square metres in Chekhla village, which were classified as “restricted use” by the revenue department. The land originally belonged to a farmer, Jiva Patel, and his family.
The complaint was filed by Jiva Patel’s son, Kanu Patel, who alleged that Raman Patel had forged documents to illegally acquire the land in 1994 and 1996. Kanu claimed that Patel used fake documents purportedly issued by the Sanand mamlatdar’s office to show that the land use had been converted for non-agricultural purposes, a claim that was later found to be false. In December 2022, the Sanand mamlatdar officially confirmed through correspondence that no such conversion order had been passed at any point in time.
District government Pleader Pravin Trivedi informed that the investigation revealed a clear case of document fabrication and misuse of official seals to obtain fraudulent ownership. The court also noted that no payment had ever been made to the farmer or his family for the land in question. Further inquiries revealed that the parcels were shown under the ownership of 52 different firms, all linked to Raman Patel and his family members, indicating a complex network of fraudulent transactions.
The court observed that Patel’s actions constituted serious offences under the Indian Penal Code, including breach of trust, cheating, forgery, forgery of valuable security, forgery for the purpose of cheating, using a forged document as genuine, and criminal conspiracy. The judge remarked that such cases of land fraud undermine public confidence in the real estate sector and warranted stringent punishment.
Raman Patel and his brother Dashrath Patel are not new to controversy. Both were CBI witnesses in the high-profile 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case. In August 2020, Raman Patel was arrested following complaints of attempted murder and domestic violence filed by his daughter-in-law. Following that, multiple FIRs were registered against the brothers for allegedly occupying several land parcels in and around Ahmedabad using forged or manipulated documents.
The conviction in this case marks a rare instance where a long-pending property fraud matter has resulted in imprisonment. Legal experts say the ruling underscores the increasing scrutiny over fraudulent land dealings and document forgery in Gujarat’s growing real estate market, particularly around the expanding Sanand industrial belt.
Chekhla village, located on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, has witnessed a steep rise in land values in the past two decades due to industrial development in Sanand and its proximity to major infrastructure projects. Officials say this has led to a spike in cases involving forged documents and fake ownership claims, often at the expense of original landowners who are unaware of the fraudulent transfers.
Patel’s counsel is expected to file an appeal in the sessions court in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, authorities have begun identifying the land parcels listed under the 52 firms connected to Patel’s family for potential recovery or revaluation proceedings.
.png)