Ranchi's Under Registrar Vivek Kumar Pandey in Jagran's special program 'Prashna Pahar'.
Jagran correspondent, Ranchi. Buying land is one of the biggest capital investments of any person's life, but a little carelessness can turn this dream into a legal nightmare. In view of the increasing cases of land disputes in Jharkhand, especially Ranchi, it is essential to have correct knowledge of the rules.
In Dainik Jagran's special program 'Prashna Pahar', Ranchi's Under Registrar Vivek Kumar Pandey answered the questions of the readers which are in the mind of every land buyer. He clarified that merely getting the mutation done is not a guarantee of ownership.
Don't fall into the trap of simple lease and agreement
Often people fall prey to brokers and make land deals on simple lease or mere agreement. According to Vivek Kumar Pandey, the simple lease is completely invalid in law and no claim of ownership can be made in future on its basis.
Similarly, merely entering into an agreement is also unsafe because it does not give you legal rights and the seller can sell the same land to someone else. The real owner of the land should always be confirmed from the Khatian and Register-2 of the concerned zonal office.
Big risk of registry of acquired land
The most important check before buying land is whether it has been acquired by the government. Even if a person unknowingly gets the acquired land registered, it will be legally invalid.
In such a situation, the buyer will neither get any compensation nor any rights on the land in future. Its exact information can be obtained from the District Land Acquisition Office. There is a complete ban on registry of lands included in the restricted list.
The real truth of CNT Act and mutation
It is very important to understand the nature of land in Jharkhand. Under the CNT Act, ST (Scheduled Tribe) land can be sold only to another ST person in the same police station area. Buying such land is completely prohibited for the general category.
At the same time, he cleared a big confusion regarding mutation. Mutation is simply the process of registering a name in government records. Valid registry, updated entry in Register-2 and free acquisition of land are mandatory conditions for genuine ownership.
What to do if there is no intervention
If a buyer has valid land registry and mutation papers, but still is not getting possession of the land, he should immediately file a complaint in the concerned police station.
If the documents are correct, it is the responsibility of the police administration to get possession of the land to the buyer. Instead of blindly trusting the words of the seller or broker, get physical verification of the documents done from the zonal, land acquisition and registration office.
To whom can ST land be sold?
According to the CNT Act, ST (Scheduled Tribe) land can be sold only to other STs. That too within the same police station area.
SC to SC and OBC to OBC can sell land to each other only if they are from the same district. Sale of ST land to the general category is completely prohibited.
How safe is it to buy land only on agreement without registration?
It is unsafe to buy land only on agreement. The agreement does not give ownership rights. In future, the seller may sell the land to someone else and the buyer may have to face legal troubles.
Register-2 is the official record of the registry office, in which the details of land registry are recorded. Enrollment of name in Register-2 is considered essential for legal ownership of land.
People often trust the words of brokers or sellers and do not check government records. Buying land without confirmation from the zonal office and registration office is the biggest mistake.