Chapter X ACQUISITION OR PROPRIETARY RIGHTS BY TENANTS OTHER

Right of tenant other than occupancy tenant to acquire interests of landowner. (1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any law, contract, custom or usage for the time being in force, on and from the commencement of this Act, if the whole of the land of the landowner is under non-occupancy tenants, and if such a landowner has not exercised the right of resumption of tenancy land at any time since January 26, 1955, under any law as in force:- (i) such a landowner shall be entitled to resume before the date to be notified by the State Government in the official Gazette and in the manner prescribed, either one and a half acres of irrigated land or three acres of un-irrigated land under tenancy from one or more than one tenants for his personal cultivation and the right, title and interest (including contingent interest, if any) of the tenant or tenants, as the case may be, therefrom shall stand extinguished free from all encumbrances created by the tenant or tenants to that extent : Provided that if the tenant has taken loan from the State Government, a co-operative society or a bank for the improvement of tenancy land which the landowner has resumed under clause (i) or clause (ii) and has used such loan for the improvement of such land, then the landowner shall be liable to repay the outstanding amount of such loan and to the extent actually used for the said purpose and interest thereon to the State Government or to the Co-operative Society or a bank, as the case may be, proportionate to the improved land resumed by him : Provided further that the landowner shall not be entitled to resume from a tenant more than one half of the tenancy land; (ii) in case the landowner holds less than one and a half acres of irrigated land or three acres of un-irrigated land in his personal cultivation, he shall be entitled to resume tenancy land only to make up the land under his personal cultivation to the extent of one and a half acres of irrigated land, or three acres of un-irrigated land, as the case may be, subject to the other conditions laid down in this section; (iii) the right, title and interest in the rest of the tenancy land of the landowner, who is entitled to resume land under clauses (i) and (ii) shall vest in the tenant free from an encumbrances with effect from the date to be notified by the State Government in the Official Gazette ; (iv) in case the land under the tenancy is partly irrigated and partly (1) (v) in the event of any dispute between the landowner and the tenant with regard to the selection of land for resumption, the first right of selection of the land shall be that of the tenant who may exercise this right in the prescribed manner and before the date to be notified by the State Government in this respect in the Official Gazette; (vi) in case the tenant fails to exercise his right of selection of land by the date notified under clause (v), the Land Reforms Officer shall determine his share after giving the parties an opportunity of being beard. In such a case also, the tenant shall be given the first choice to select the land. (2) Where the landowner does not cultivate the land resumed under sub-section (1) personally, within one year from taking possession thereof, then such land shall vest in the State Government on payment of an amount at the rate of ninety-six times the land revenue plus rates and cesses and such land shall be disposed of by the State Government in such manner as may be prescribed. In such an event the first right to get such land shall be that of the tenant from whom the land was resumed by the landowner. (3) All rights, title and interest (including a contingent interest, if any) of a landowner other than a landowner entitled to resume land under sub-section (1), shall be extinguished and all such rights, title and interest shall with effect from the date to be notified by the State Government in the Official Gazettevest in the tenant free from all encumbrances: Provided that if a tenancy is created after the commencement of this Act, the provision of this sub-section shall apply immediately after the creation of such tenancy. (4) Whenever a dispute arises whether a person cultivating the land of a landowner, is a tenant or not, the burden of proving that such a person is not a tenant of the landowner shall be on the latter. (5) The landowner whose rights, title and interest are extinguished under this section, shall be entitled to receive an amount at the rate of ninety-six times the land revenue plus rates and cesses payable either in lump sum or in such number of instalments not exceeding ten during a period not exceeding five years as may be prescribed: Provided if the tenant makes a default in the payment of any instalment of the amount the same shall be recoverable as an arrear of land revenue: Provided further that if the land for which the amount is to be paid under this section is subject to a mortgage debt from a bank, the mortgage debt will be the first charge on the amount payable for such land: Provided also that the tenant shall not be liable to pay the amount to the landowner for the acquisition of ownership rights in the tenancy land which is equal in area to that of his tenancy land resumed by the landowner under clauses (i) and (ii) and the extinguishment of rights, title and interest of the tenant in the land resumed by the landowner shall be deemed to be the amount therefor. (6) Save as otherwise provided in section 114, every decision of the Land Reforms Officer, under this section shall be binding on all persons claiming an interest in a holding notwithstanding the fact that any such person has not appeared or participated in the proceedings before the Land Reforms Officer or any other revenue authority. (7) The provisions of the foregoing sub-section shall apply to evacuee land as defined in the Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950, (31 of 1950), to composite property as defined in the Evacuee Interest (Separation) Act, 1951, (65 of 1951), or the property vested in the Central Government under section 12 of the Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954, (44 of 1954), with effect from such date as the State Government by notification, in the Official Gazette, specify. (8) Save as otherwise provided in sub-section (9), nothing contained in sub-sections (1) to (6) shall apply to a tenancy of a landowner owner during the period mentioned for each category of such landowners in sub-section (9) who,- (a) is a minor or unmarried woman, or if married, divorced or separated from husband or widow ; or (b) is permanently incapable of cultivating land by reason of any physical or mental infirmity ; or (c) is a serving member of the Armed Forces; or (d) is the father of the person who is serving in the Armed Forces, up to the extent of inheritable share of such a member of the Armed Forces on the date of his joining the Armed Forces, to be declared by his father in the prescribed manner. (9) In the case of landowners mentioned in clauses (a) to (d) of sub-section (8), the provisions of sub-sections (1) to (6) shall not apply:- (a) in case of a minor during his minority and in case of other persons mentioned in clauses (a) and (b) of sub-section (8) during their life time ; (b) in case of persons mentioned in clauses (c) and (d) of sub-section (8), during the period of their service in the Armed Forces subject to resumption of land by such persons to the extent mentioned in first proviso to clauses (d) and (dd) of sub-section (1) of section 34. Provided that nothing contained in this section shall apply to such land which either owned by or is vested in the Government under any law, whether before or after the commencement of this Act, and is leased out to any person.

The total amount payable by a tenant shall be the amount determined under foregoing section together with the value of any building on the land and belonging to the land-owner, as assessed by the Land Reforms Officer: Provided that the amount so determined shall not exceed 50 %of the market price of such building and structure.

Claims for compensation and determination of such claims. (1) The Land Reforms Officer, as soon as may be after the determination of the amount under this Chapter, shall cause to be published in the prescribed manner in the estate a notice requiring all persons claiming an interest in the total amount in respect of the lands of any tenancy to file before him a statement within a period of six months from the date of publication of the notice: Provided that the Land Reforms Officer may, in suitable cases, extend the period within which such claim may be made. (2) If the amount payable relates to the land mortgaged with a bank, or other lending institution or agency, then the priority of claiming such amount against mortgage money shall be that of the bank, lending institution or agency, as the case may be.

Where any dispute arises between persons claiming amount the Land Reforms Officer shall require them to refer their claims to a competent Civil Court for adjudication.

Disposal of claims by Land Reforms Officer. On consideration of the claim filed under section 106 the Land Reforms Officer shall dispose of the claim in accordance with respective shares of the claimants.

(1) Where there is no dispute between the claimants as to their respective shares in the compensation, the Land Reforms Officer shall make payment to them in accordance with their respective shares. (2) Where there is a dispute between the claimants as to their respective shares in the Amount, the Land Reforms Officer shall make payment to them in accordance with the adjudication of the Civil Court under section 107.

Compensation to be deposited in case of minors. Where the landowner is a minor the Land Reforms Officer shall cause the amount to be deposited with the Collector or in any bank selected in this behalf by the State Government.

The arrears of land revenue payable by the landowner for the period before extinguishment of rights, if any, shall be deducted by the Land Reforms Officer from the total amount payable to the landowner and credited to the State Government.

Bar of jurisdiction. Save as otherwise expressly provided in this Chapter, the validity of any proceedings or orders taken or made under this Chapter shall not be called in question in any Civil Court or before any other authority.

Bar of transfer of ownership rights. No land in respect of which proprietary rights have been acquired under this Chapter shall be transferred by sale, mortgage, gift or otherwise during a period often years by a person from the date he acquires proprietary rights: Provided that nothing contained in sub-section (1) shall apply to the transfer of land made for a productive purpose with the prior permission of the State Government in a prescribed manner: Provided further that nothing in this sub-section shall apply to the land mortgaged with the Co-operative Societies established under the Himachal Pradesh Co-operative Societies Act, 1968, (3 of 1969), or with a Bank. (2) Any transfer of land made in contravention of sub-section (1) shall be void and no registering authority shall register any document evidencing such transfer under the Indian Registration Act, 1908.

(1) Any person aggrieved by an order made by the Land Reforms Officer may, within thirty days from the date of the order, prefer an appeal to the Collector, in such form and manner, as may be prescribed : Provided that the Collector may entertain the appeal after the expiry of the said period of thirty days, if he is satisfied that the appellant was pre-

Bar of jurisdiction. Save as otherwise expressly provided in this Chapter, every order made by the Collector, Commissioner or Financial Commissioner shall be final, and no proceeding or order taken or made under this Chapter, shall be called in question by any Court or before any officer or authority.

Bar to legal proceedings. No prosecution, suit or other legal proceeding shall lie against the State Government or any officer or authority for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of this Chapter or of any rules made thereunder.

The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules to carry out the purposes of this Chapter.