Udupi Panchayat Accused of Defying Orders, Rights Body Flags Red-Tapism in Land Record Case

Udupi: A prolonged dispute over the issuance of a routine land document in Karnataka’s Udupi district has triggered allegations of bureaucratic defiance and systemic red-tapism within the Panchayati Raj system, with a human rights organisation stepping in to seek accountability.

The Udupi-based Human Rights Protection Foundation (HRPF) has taken up the case of Vasant Sherigar, an insurance professional, who claims he has faced sustained harassment by officials of the Udyavara Gram Panchayat for nearly four years while attempting to obtain a 9/11A land document and a door number for his residential property.

According to the convenor of the HRPf Dr. Ravindranath Shanbhag, Sherigar inherited nine cents of land in Survey No.147/27 and secured all mandatory approvals, including land conversion clearance from the Deputy Commissioner and a single-site approval from the Udupi Urban Development Authority (UUDA) in July 2021. Despite a Gram Panchayat resolution approving issuance of the document, the Panchayat Development Officer (PDO) allegedly delayed the process, later demanding that Sherigar donate a portion of land for a proposed road—an услов condition not mentioned in any official approval.

Subsequent clarifications from UUDA confirmed that no road was proposed on the land. Nevertheless, the matter was stalled for over 18 months following a complaint by a third party, before the stay was finally lifted in March 2023. Though the 9/11A certificate was eventually issued, it was cancelled nine months later without notice, prompting Sherigar to seek legal assistance.

HRPF, after reviewing official records, stated that the cancellation violated procedural norms and ignored multiple directions issued by senior authorities. A Zilla Panchayat CEO’s order in August 2025 reportedly found deliberate delay, unauthorised cancellation, and financial loss to the Panchayat, recommending disciplinary action.

The Foundation has announced plans to approach the courts, calling the episode symptomatic of deeper governance failures in grassroots administration.