Assam Govt suspends cross-Religious land sales breaching Constitutional morality
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Breaching the Constitutional morality, the Assam government has issued a notification suspending the grant of no-objection certificates (NOCs) for the sale of land between individuals belonging to different religious communities for three months. The government claims this measure is aimed at avoiding unwarranted communal violence ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The notification, issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management (Registration) Department on March 7, cites intelligence inputs indicating attempts to transfer land between persons from different religious communities through fraudulent means.
The government has deemed it necessary to put the issuance of NOCs on hold for a period of three months to prevent vested interests from creating conflicts.
However, the notification also includes provisions for exceptions. District Commissioners may grant NOCs if they deem it absolutely necessary under certain circumstances, provided it does not risk breaching law and order. Such decisions would require prior concurrence from the Inspector-General of Registration, Assam.
The timing of this notification coincides with the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, scheduled to be held in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with results announced on June 4. Assam itself will see elections conducted in three phases on April 19, April 26, and May 7.
This development comes on the heels of the launch of the third phase of Mission Basundhara, an initiative by the Assam government aimed at updating land records and making land revenue services more accessible to citizens. The initiative, rooted in a 2019 policy, focuses on allocating land to landless indigenous people.
The government's decision has sparked discussions about its potential impact on land transactions and communal harmony in the state. While the move aims to pre-empt any tensions during the electoral process, it has also raised questions about its long-term implications and the balance between security concerns and individual rights.
