synopsis

A case has been filed against Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda and others for alleged illegal occupation of government land in Bengaluru. Pitroda denies wrongdoing, asserting he owns no property in India and has never accepted a bribe.
 

A case has been filed against Congress Overseas Chief Sam Pitroda, also known as Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda, and others in the Special Anti-Land Grabbing Court, accusing them of illegally occupying government land in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Pitroda, along with Darshan Shankar, founder of the Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), and four senior Karnataka Forest Department officials, is accused of land grabbing. The case pertains to a 5-hectare (12.35-acre) reserve forest land in Jarakabande Kaval, near Yelahanka, which was leased to FRLHT by the Karnataka State Forest Department in 1996 for five years.

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The lease was renewed in 2001 for another 10 years but expired in 2011. Despite this, FRLHT has allegedly continued to occupy the land illegally for over 14 years.

The land is estimated to be worth over Rs 150 crore, with a market value exceeding Rs 300 crore. Reports suggest the organisation has allegedly generated Rs 5-6 crore annually by selling rare herbal plants grown on the property.

A complaint regarding this alleged encroachment was lodged with the Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate on February 24, 2025. Following an investigation and based on supporting documents, criminal cases were officially filed against Pitroda, Shankar, and the four forest officials in the Karnataka Special Court for the Prevention of Land Grabbing.

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In response to the allegations, Pitroda firmly denied any wrongdoing. He recently took to X, stating, "I do not own any land, home, or stocks in India. During my tenure with the Indian government—whether under Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the mid-1980s or Dr. Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2014—I never received a salary. I have never paid or accepted a bribe in India or any other country in my 83 years of life."

As the case unfolds, authorities are expected to proceed with legal scrutiny over the alleged illegal occupation of government land.