The Divisional Commissioner of Lucknow, Roshan Jacob, has instructed District Magistrate Surya Pal Gangwar to initiate a thorough investigation into alleged discrepancies surrounding the leasing of La Martiniere College Trust’s land to private parties for the construction of a tennis academy. According to the exclusive report by The Times of India, the directive comes amid claims that the leasing process did not obtain approval from the “competent authority.”

Former College Principal Carlyle McFarland, who retired just three days ago, denied any wrongdoing in the matter. In a letter issued on Thursday, Commissioner Jacob urged the District Magistrate to delve into the query raised by the former Principal Secretary (Law) in 2012. The commissioner instructed the probe to ascertain the current legal status of the lease deed, the status of the land covered under the deed and the response of the college principal to the raised questions.

Both the Divisional Commissioner and the District Magistrate serve as ex-officio members of the Local Committee of Governors (LCG) of the college, which holds significance in the investigation.

The letter highlighted that the disputed land belongs to the Lucknow Martin Charities Trust, with the Chief Secretary acting as the senior trustee and the Principal Secretary (Law and Justice) as the trustee. Leasing the trust property without the necessary permission is deemed illegal, as per the commissioner.

“It appears that the principal and other signatories to the lease exceeded their powers. The said lease deed was executed fraudulently, ignoring the powers of the trustees,” the letter stated.

Commissioner Jacob’s letter disclosed that approximately 19,668 square meters of land were allegedly leased to the Sports Development Society for a 10-year period starting in March 2012.

Notably, a letter from the then Principal Secretary (Law and Justice) in May 2012 raised concerns about the lease and directed a halt to any construction work on the land. The principal secretary’s letter questioned why the lease was awarded to the Sports Development Society when the governing body’s proposal had recommended it to the Lucknow Tennis Academy.

Another query raised was the legal provision under La Martiniere College’s constitution that allowed the leasing of land owned by the Martin Charities Trust to private entities for a tennis academy.

Refuting the allegations, retired Principal Carlyle McFarland responded to TOI, saying, “The matter was decided by the Committee of Governors after adequate discussion. Incidentally, there is no lease entered into. Those who have passed on the information have not done their homework properly.” However, the lease deed attached to the commissioner’s letter identifies McFarland as the licensor, with senior advocate Jaideep Narain Mathur and Nasir Saeed as witnesses.

The ongoing investigation is expected to shed light on the intricacies of the leasing process and determine the validity of the claims made against the former principal and other signatories involved.