Uttarakhand High Court Bars Sale of 29.17 Hectares of Surplus Land in Five Dehradun Villages
The high court has barred any sale or transfer of land declared surplus under the ceiling act in five Dehradun villages, acting on a 2022 PIL over the city's tea garden lands.
Current Summary
The Uttarakhand High Court has prohibited any transaction, sale or transfer between private individuals of 29.1784 hectares of land declared surplus under the ceiling law across five villages in Dehradun district — 15.9230 hectares in Raipur, 0.0730 hectare in Chak Raipur, 7.4601 hectares in Nathanpur, 0.0280 hectare in Kyarkuli Bhatta, and 5.6943 hectares in Ladpur. The court also directed the concerned sub-registrar not to register any sale deed or transfer document related to this land. The order came while hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate and RTI activist Vikesh Singh Negi, who had raised the issue of alleged illegal transfer and sale of Dehradun's tea garden land in 2022, questioning the ownership of the land and the legality of transfers under the ceiling law. Negi said the court had earlier issued an interim order on July 7, 2022 directing the sub-registrar not to register sale deeds on this land, but complaints of land transactions and alleged illegal encroachments have continued despite that order.
What We Know
- The High Court barred sale or transfer of 29.1784 hectares of ceiling-surplus land across five Dehradun villages: Raipur, Chak Raipur, Nathanpur, Kyarkuli Bhatta and Ladpur.
- The sub-registrar has been directed not to register any sale deed or transfer document for this land.
- The order came on a PIL filed by advocate Vikesh Singh Negi in 2022 over alleged illegal transfer of Dehradun's tea garden land.
- An earlier interim order on July 7, 2022 had already directed the sub-registrar not to register such deeds, but complaints of transactions and encroachment have continued.
What Is Still Unclear
- The current status and expected timeline of the broader PIL on Dehradun's tea garden land.
- Whether any enforcement action will follow against transactions that may have occurred despite the 2022 interim order.
What Changed
- 11 Nov, 02:52 pmSignal detected: Uttarakhand High Court Bars Sale of 29.17 Hectares of Surplus Land in Five Dehradun Villages
Background
The case originates from a 2022 PIL that challenged the ownership status and alleged illegal transfer of tea garden land in Dehradun declared surplus under the state's land ceiling law.