National Confidence MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, on Sunday, described the allegations against him of manipulating the land records in connection with a land compensation case in Kashmir as “politically motivated”.

He termed the charges against him “baseless” and “tactics aimed at silencing him due to his vocal opposition to the revocation of Article 370 and ongoing human rights concerns in Jammu and Kashmir”.

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Ruhullah accused the BJP government at the Centre of marginalizing minorities and using legal tools to suppress dissent. “You can’t silence me with fabricated cases. If you really want me to be silent, restore Article 370, respect minority rights, and return the dignity of Jammu and Kashmir,” he asserted.

The J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) named 22 persons, including Ruhullah and his relatives, in the chargesheet pertaining to the “withdrawal of fraudulent payments by way of making insertions and tampering with the Revenue records in district Budgam”.

The ACB filed the chargesheet in the court of the Special Judge (Anti-Corruption) on Saturday.

The case that pertains to a land acquisition process over two decades ago in Kashmir’s Bemina-Darbal area has triggered a controversy after Ruhullah’s name appeared in the chargesheet.

Ruhullah told media persons that the land under question originally belonged to his grandfather and the compensation had been lawfully distributed among the legal heirs, as per the records. “I had no involvement in the negotiation or compensation process. My share, which was just Rs 80,000, was received nearly 20 years ago,” he said.

The MP, who was MLA for 18 years before being elected to the Parliament, emphasized that he was neither issued any notice by the ACB nor questioned by police or administration over the past two decades. “I only learnt about the chargesheet the day it was filed—just like everyone else,” he added.

According to Ruhullah, the land was acquired by the government in the early 2000s for rehabilitation of Dal dwellers. The landowners, including Ruhullah’s grandfather’s family, were compensated based on possession and agricultural use. He cited cabinet decisions and surveys that formed the legal basis for the compensation, stating that thousands of kanals in the area were similarly processed.

He further disclosed that his personal share, as per inheritance and division among 11 legal heirs, amounted to just Rs 80,000—received nearly 20 years ago.”If this is what is being called a multi-crore scam, then I welcome the harshest investigation. Bring in not just the ACB, but even the NIA,” he said, urging transparency and a detailed public investigation.