VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court criticised officials over assigned land registrations, ruling that they must prove that lands allocated to the poor before June 18, 1954, had a condition prohibiting sales. If they fail to do so, it must be assumed that no restrictions existed, and post-1954 laws should not apply.
The court directed registration officials to accept documents for pre-1954 assigned lands submitted for sale, referencing the Raavi Satish case verdict. It also ruled that requiring a NOC for land registration is impermissible, reaffirming prior judgments.
The ruling, issued two days ago, followed a petition by Balaram from Kanur village, Penamaluru mandal, Krishna district. The court overturned the Tahsildar’s claim that 66 cents of land belonged to the government and ordered the sub-registrar to register Balaram’s sale document.
The disputed 66 cents were part of 1.64 acres assigned to N Venkataswamy in 1942. After his death, his heirs sold the land to Uppalapati Rajarathnam, whose son, Balaram, sought to sell it in 2008.
The sub-registrar demanded an No Objection Certificate, which the Tahsildar denied. Balaram challenged this in the High Court in 2009, leading to the recent verdict.