Activist members of Lokpal panel declare assets

Anna Hazare has declared he has got a total of Rs 68,688 in cash and as bank balance apart from three pieces of land, as the social activist and four other non-government members of Lokpal Bill drafting committee on Friday made public their assets on eve of the 10-member panel's first meeting.

73-year-old Hazare's lands were either donated to him or family owned, according to his declaration, which was made in a show of transparency, days after he led the campaign against corruption by undergoing a 98-hour long fast.

In his statement, Hazare said two land pieces measuring 0.07 Hectares and two hectares are in his native village in Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra while 0.46 hectare of land is in Pimpianer.

He said that Army donated one of the pieces of land in Ralegan Siddhi to him, which he has donated for village use while a villager donated the Pimpianer land to him. Hazare has further donated this land for village use.

Former Law Minister and senior lawyer Shanti Bhushan, who is the co-Chairman of the drafting committee which will also have five union ministers, has declared movable assets worth over Rs 111 crore and eight immovable properties.

In his statement, Shanti Bhushan said his total income during last 10 years is Rs 136.71 crore which has been duly shown in Income Tax returns.

The properties owned by him include two houses in Sector-14 Noida each over 400 square meters, a flat at Supreme Cooperative Group Housing Society, a house at sector 43 Noida, about 9,600 square feet plot in Eagleton Golf Village Bangalore, five acres of agricultural land in Roorkee, 10,000 sq m farm land in sector-165 Noida besides one-fourth share in Allahabad House property.

Shanti Bhushan refuted allegations that he has brought a property in Allahabad worth Rs 20 crore for Rs one lakh for which stamp duty has been evaded.

He said the property in question is an old house on a three-acre land, which had been in tenancy of Bhushan for the last 70 years. "In 1966 the landlord had agreed by a written agreement to sell this property to me for Rs one lakh. This became the subject of a suit for specific performance in the court," Bhushan said.

He said the case was settled through a compromise in the court by which one-third of the land was left for landlord and remaining land with house was sold to him for Rs one lakh.

"Under rules 341 of the UP Stamp Rules, stamp duty on the sale of a house is 20 times the rateable value for house tax. Since it was a tenanted property under rent control, the rate-able value was Rs 33,360 and consequently the stamp duty was paid on the value of Rs 6,67,200," he said.

His Son Prashant Bhushan, also a lawyer at Supreme Court, said he owns four properties including a house at Jangpura-B New Delhi, a flat at Supreme Co-operative Group Housing Society, 4,800 square meter agricultural land at village Kandbari in Himachal Pradesh and one-fourth share in Allahabad House property.

Prashant also declared movable assets worth Rs 2.2 crore.

Justice Santosh Hegde declared little over Rs 32 lakh in his bank accounts and over Rs 1.5 lakh in his wife's name in different accounts. He also has a flat worth Rs 1.5 crore at Banglore purchased in 2007. He said the sources of purchase of flat include sale of old flat worth Rs 70 lakh, Rs 30 lakh Housing loan and other sources.

Another member Magsaysay Awardee Arvind Kejariwal said he has a flat in his name with present market value of Rs 55 lakh and a little over Rs 1.35 lakh as bank balance and miscellaneous household items.

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