Following a Supreme Court ruling, properties worth around Rs 110 crore belonging to Uttar Pradesh Zila Panchayat member Devendra Singh are being released after the Gangster Act case against him was quashed.
Key Points
- The Supreme Court quashed the Gangster Act proceedings against Zila Panchayat member Devendra Singh.
- Approximately Rs 110 crore worth of Devendra Singh's properties, previously attached, are being released.
- The Uttar Pradesh government stated in court that Devendra Singh was not a land mafia, leading to the quashing of the case.
- Devendra Singh has over 50 criminal cases registered against him, including attempted murder and extortion.
- The district administration has released a dozen properties linked to Singh, including a guest house and market shops.
Properties worth around Rs 110 crore belonging to Zila Panchayat member Devendra Singh alias Gabbar, attached in connection with a Gangster Act case, are being released after the Supreme Court quashed the proceedings against him, officials said
Acting on the apex court's order passed in March, the district administration on April 7 released around a dozen properties linked to Singh.
Devendra, a resident of Mohanpur Mafi village under the Payagpur police station area, has more than 50 criminal cases registered against him, including attempt to murder, abduction and extortion. His brother, Ravindra Singh, is the village head.
In 2022, police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh on Devendra and Rs 25,000 on his associate Manish Jaiswal. Following multiple cases of fraud, encroachment and extortion, police also invoked the Gangster Act against him.
Both were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh STF in February 2022 and sent to jail. The Gangster Act was formally invoked against Devendra in July that year, after which nearly a dozen properties linked to him were attached by the then district magistrate.
Devendra was granted bail last year and was later released from jail.
His counsel Uttam Singh said a petition seeking quashing of the Gangster Act FIR was filed in the Supreme Court last year after no relief was granted by the High Court.
"In its affidavit before the Supreme Court, the state government stated that Devendra Singh was not a land mafia, following which the court set aside the Gangster Act proceedings against him," the counsel said.
He added that in compliance with the court's order, the administration released properties on April 7, including a guest house, six market shops, four plots and a residential house in the city. Proceedings are also underway to release another property in Kaiserganj tehsil.
City Magistrate Rajesh Prasad said the properties had been attached under orders issued in 2022. He added that on March 26, 2026, the Gangster court here directed their release in compliance with the Supreme Court's order, following which District Magistrate Akshay Tripathi issued directions on April 7 to restore possession to Singh.
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