HC Approves Regularisation of Sada Bainamas

Rapid Summary:

• Telangana High Court issued an order permitting regularisation of unregistered land transactions (Sada Bainamas) made prior to June 2, 2014.
• The bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G.M. Mohiuddin disposed of a PIL challenging GO Ms. No.112, which allowed the regularisation.
• Sada Bainama is a system where land transactions are recorded on plain paper without formal registration.
• Thousands of small farmers who sold or purchased lands under this system had been facing uncertainty regarding ownership rights due to legal restrictions placed five years ago by the HC.
• Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy argued that GO No. 112 aimed to empower small farmers by granting them ownership rights over such lands thru the new Bhu bharati Act’s section 6.
• The High Court noted that section 6 enabled examination and regularisation of unregistered deals, rendering the PIL filed in 2020 infructuous.

Indian Opinion Analysis:

The Telangana High Court’s decision marks a important turning point for small farmers in rural areas who relied on informal land sale agreements like Sada Bainamas before legal reforms were implemented in the state.Regularising these unregistered transactions not only grants much-needed clarity over property ownership but also strengthens rural economic security by enabling access to formal institutional benefits tied to landownership, such as loans and subsidies.

From a governance viewpoint, this move appears aligned with the state’s goal to streamline land administration and reduce disputes stemming from informal agreements-a common challenge across India where agricultural land frequently changes hands without proper documentation.However, clear implementation guidelines will be essential for ensuring transparency in processing these deals under Section 6 of the Bhu Bharati Act while avoiding misuse or fraud during regularisation efforts.For more details:
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