The Assam Government has imposed a three-month suspension on granting no objection certificates (NOCs) for the sale of land between individuals of different religions. This move comes in response to intelligence reports suggesting fraudulent attempts to transfer land between religious communities, potentially stoking communal tensions during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management (Registration) Department on March 7, the notification, supported by the State Governor, aims to curb vested interests from exploiting interreligious land transactions to incite communal conflicts during the electoral period.
The suspension applies to all cases seeking NOCs for land sales under Section 21A of the Registration Act 1908, where the buyer and seller belong to different religious communities. Revenue Department Principal Secretary Gyanendra Dev Tripathi signed the directive, putting such transactions on hold for three months from the notification’s issuance date.
Assam is gearing up for Lok Sabha elections across its 14 Parliamentary constituencies, scheduled to be conducted in three phases. Voting for seats in eastern, central, and southern Assam will take place on April 19, April 26, and May 7, respectively.
The notification further mentioned if a District Commissioner deems it essential to grant an NOC for interreligious land transactions due to exceptional circumstances that do not pose a threat to law and order, they may do so with the prior approval of the Inspector General of Registration, Assam.
This directive comes on the heels of the launch of the third phase of Mission Basundhra by the Assam Government, a scheme aimed at converting government-owned land into ‘myadi patta’. Under this initiative, individuals from indigenous communities can obtain ownership rights over designated land. The initiative was first launched on May 8, 2022.
To qualify for ownership, applicants must demonstrate their residency in Assam for at least three generations on the specified land and prove continuous occupation for a minimum of three years from the date of application.
During a session of the 126-member Assam Assembly on February 8, All India United Democratic Front MLA Ashraful Hussain raised concerns regarding the rejection of applications from Muslims under Mission Basundhara.
Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma responded by clarifying that landless Bengali-origin Muslims, often referred to as Miya, are ineligible to apply under the mission as they are not considered indigenous to Assam.
The CM stressed that ‘khilonjia’, or indigenous, refers to aboriginal status. He cited examples such as the Moran, Matak, and Chutia tribal communities, highlighting that they are recognised as indigenous under worldwide definitions.
