Punjabi varsity to conduct study on Nazul Land & its social impact

With AAP and BJP engaging in a war of words for not transferring the benefits of welfare schemes meant for the poor, especially the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Punjab State Farmers’ and Farm Workers’ Commission has entrusted Punjabi University, Patiala, with a comprehensive study on “Nazul Land” and its social impact.

Dr Rajdeep Singh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Law, has been awarded the research project titled “A Socio-Legal Perspective of Nazul Land in Punjab.” The commission has allocated Rs 5 lakh for the eight-month study.

The decision to sanction the project has come in the wake of a research paper highlighting that the SCs remain entrapped in cycles of economic exploitation and socio-political marginalisation, as the absence of land ownership denies them access to government schemes such as crop credit.

The paper titled “Nazul Land and the Indian Constitution: A Legal Perspective in Relation to the State of Punjab”, jointly has been authored by Dr Singh and PhD scholar Harjeet Singh. It has been published in the International Journal of Civil Law and Legal Research.

What is Nazul Land?

Nazul Land is a property that reverts to the state due to lack of legal heirs, abandonment or confiscation. In Punjab, much of it is surplus land left behind by the Muslims during the Partition. Unlike core state assets, Nazul Land is generally leased by governments for residential, commercial or agricultural purposes.

From 1955–60, the state government allotted such land to landless SC families by forming the Scheduled Caste Land Owning Cooperative Societies (SCLOs). While this gave beneficiaries a symbolic social status in villages, it did not translate into land ownership rights.

Scope of study

Dr Singh said the research would cover at least 150 of the 419 SCLOs spread in 11 districts. The study would examine the functioning of these societies and assess their role in uplifting the SC communities.

“The outcomes are expected to offer insights for policymakers, empower marginalised communities and guide reforms in land management and legal frameworks,” he said.

Land reforms vs mgmt

Research scholar Harjeet Singh argued that what is often projected as “land reforms” in Punjab, is merely land management. “Computerisation of records or consolidation of land laws may help landowners and make markets vibrant, but occupiers of Nazul Land remain deprived of ownership rights even after six decades,” he observed.

This, he noted, weakens the constitutional promise of justice as enshrined in the Preamble and Directive Principles of State Policy.

Left out of Welfare Act

In 2020, the Punjab Assembly passed The Punjab (Welfare and Settlement of Landless, Marginal and Small Occupant Farmers) Allotment of State Government Land Act to regularise possession of property to landless and marginal farmers.

However, the Act specifically excluded Nazul Land from its ambit. Scholars argue that this reflects a deliberate political decision, leaving thousands of the SC families outside the welfare framework.