LAHORE, Dec 15: Justice Mohammad Nawaz Bhatti of the Lahore High Court on Wednesday summoned the Mandi Bahauddin district coordination officer to explain corruption allegations against revenue officials, including the tehsildar.

The judge directed the DCO to submit a reply in the charges which, it observed, were serious in nature. He also instructed the DCO to ensure that the revenue record of the agricultural land of petitioner Shafqaat Husain would not be tampered with by the officials.

The petitioner from Langrial village of Kharian tehsil moved court through Advocate M.D Tahir. He alleged that revenue officials kept on tampering with the record and changing titles of lands in the name of consolidation and coerced land-holders to pay them illegal gratification.

The petitioner submitted that the officials were so influential as to avoid action every time although the entire Punjab administration knew about their corruption. He further submitted that he, too, was so pressured by them that he had to pay them Rs192,000 for the consolidation of his ancestral land.