Rani may have to shell out more for land

Bollywood actor Rani Mukherji may have to pay Rs 2.1 million to local authorities for the controversial plot of land she has bought near Shirdi in Maharashtra, officials said on Tuesday. "An inquiry over the illegal transaction and cancellation of the previous revenue records were made on tuesday," said Ahmed Nagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Nandkumar Suryavanshi over telephone.
The star's private secretary and her lawyer on Tuesday attended the first hearing of the case related to the land deal in the Sub-Divisional Magistrate's office at Ahmed Nagar.
Suryavanshi further stated that, according to Section 29 of the Land Ceiling Act, Mukherji will have to pay 75 per cent of the market value of the land to the government. Thus, she will have to pay Rs.2.1 million.
Mukherji had bought 11 guntas of land in 2005 from an agent, Sampat More. The property comes under the category of a new tenure land, which can be bought only with the permission from a competent authority of the district. More had not registered the property in his name when he bought it in the 1980s and sold it to the actor who purchased it without verifying the documents, landing in trouble. The district authority has not chosen not to transfer the land in her name till the inquiry is completed.
Mukherji has been summoned on December 31 for the second hearing. The final hearing and the judgement will be given by the divisional commissioner later.
Source:- http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/05December2007_64980.html