The Uttarakhand High Court has directed that in respect of the lands earmarked for tea plantation, no transaction shall be registered without prior permission of the State Government.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Ramesh Chandra Khulbe issued notice on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking restraint against the sale or purchase of surplus lands.
The submission of counsel for the petitioner is that the private persons are unabashedly selling lands, which have been declared surplus under the UP Imposition of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1960 in Dehradun district.
In the PIL, the petitioner sought restraint against the sale or purchase of such lands. Reliance has been placed upon a decision of the Supreme Court in Kunwar Chander Bahadur Singh Vs. Addl. Distt. and Sessions Judge & Anr. dated 24.10.1996.
While considering the PIL, the Court issued notice to the Respondents and asked to file a counter-affidavit within four weeks, wherein, the respondents should also disclose the particulars of transactions, which have been undertaken in violation of the aforesaid judgment of the Supreme Court.
Till the next date of hearing, the Court directed that the Sub-Registrar, Dehradun shall not register any sale deed or any instrument of transfer in respect of lands, which have been declared surplus.
The matter has been listed on 12.09.2022 for further hearing.