Telangana Government Sets Up Special Enquiry Team to Probe Dharani Portal

The Telangana government has constituted a Special Enquiry Team (SET) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the Dharani land records portal, covering developments from its inception to vendor selection, tender procedures, portal design, technical deficiencies and data security. The Revenue (Land Administration-I) Department issued G.O.Ms.No.173 on July 25, directing the team to examine whether the tendering and contracting processes were transparent and lawful. The probe will also scrutinise subsequent changes in the vendor company’s ownership, possible involvement of foreign entities or links to tax havens, and whether such developments posed any risk to citizens’ personal and land-related data. CID Director General Charu Sinha will chair the seven-member team, with senior officials from the police, IT and other departments serving as members.

The SET has also been tasked with examining whether flaws in the Dharani portal enabled unauthorised approvals, transactions without required payments, access by unauthorised persons or registrations at unusual hours. Investigators will look into alleged shortcomings such as missing system logs, non-recording of applicants’ IP addresses and difficulties in linking transaction IDs with Aadhaar-based transactions. The team has been empowered to use forensic and technical experts and identify individuals or organisations responsible for any irregularities. Where necessary, it can recommend that cases be referred to specialised investigating agencies. The government has directed the SET to submit its report at the earliest and allowed interim reports on urgent issues, particularly those concerning data security.