Vidhi Codex

The Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961

The Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961

Civil1961146 sections10 chapters

The Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961 is a comprehensive state legislation enacted to eliminate absentee landlordism, protect agricultural tenants, impose ceiling limits on agricultural land holdings, and distribute surplus land to landless agricultural labourers. It applies across the State of Karnataka to agricultural land, tenancies, land transactions, and agricultural dwelling sites. For an ordinary citizen, farmer, or worker, the law guarantees security of tenure, caps statutory rent, prohibits illegal evictions, grants ownership rights over dwelling sites to farm labourers, transfers land ownership to actual cultivators, and restricts non-agricultural acquisition of irrigated lands.

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Chapter II GENERAL PROVISIONS, REGARDING TENANCIES →

  1. 5Prohibition of leases, etc.
  2. 6Tenancy not to be terminated by efflux of time
  3. 7Restoration of possession to tenants dispossessed in certain circumstances
  4. 8Rent
  5. 9Rent when deemed as paid and dispute regarding rent payable
  6. 10Rights and liabilities of landlord
  7. 10ALiability to pay land revenue, etc.
  8. 11Refund of rent recovered in contravention of provisions of the Act
  9. 12Abolition of all cesses, etc.
  10. 13Suspensions, remissions or reduction of rent
  11. 15Resumption of land by soldier or seaman
  12. 19Restriction on transfer of resumed land
  13. 20Failure to cultivate, etc.
  14. 21Sub-division, sub-letting and assignment prohibited
  15. 22Eviction of tenant for default, etc.
  16. 23Eviction not to be ordered if rent paid during pendency of proceedings
  17. 24Rights of tenant to be heritable
  18. 25Surrender of land by tenant
  19. 26Tenancy in abeyance during usufructuary mortgage in favour of tenant
  20. 27Tenant’s rights to trees planted by him
  21. 29Tenants responsible for maintenance of boundary marks
  22. 30Repairs of protective bunds
  23. 31Tenant’s right to erect farm house
  24. 32Betterment contribution
  25. 33Receipts for rent
  26. 34Bar to attachment or sale by process of court
  27. 35Bar to eviction from dwelling house
  28. 36Site on which dwelling house is built to be sold to tenant
  29. 37Tenant’s right to purchase site
  30. 38Dwelling houses of agricultural labourers, etc.
  31. 38AGrant of certificate of ownership to an agricultural labourer
  32. 39First option to purchase land
  33. 40Compensation for improvement made by tenant
  34. 41Procedure for taking possessions
  35. 42Procedure for recovery of rent
  36. 43Rights or privileges of tenant not to be affected

Chapter III CONFERMENT OF OWNERSHIP ON TENANTS. →

  1. 44Vesting of lands in the State Government
  2. 45Tenants to be registered as occupants of land on certain conditions
  3. 46When tenant entitled to choose land
  4. 47Amount payable
  5. 48Constitution of Tribunals
  6. 48AEnquiry by the Tribunal, etc.
  7. 48BTahsildar to determine the amount payable
  8. 48CInterim Orders
  9. 49Sub-tenants of tenants to be registered as occupants
  10. 50Determination of encumbrances and payment of the amount
  11. 51Mode of payment of the amount
  12. 52Payment of compensation to be full discharge
  13. 53Payment of premium by tenant
  14. 53AEstablishment of a separate fund
  15. 54Premium recoverable as arrears of land revenue
  16. 55Issue of certificate of registration
  17. 57Provisions applicable to minors, persons under disability, etc.
  18. 58Vesting in the State Government of land leased contrary to the Act
  19. 60Failure to cultivate personally
  20. 61Restriction on transfer of land of which tenant has become occupant
  21. 62Surrender of land to State Government

Chapter IV CEILING ON LAND HOLDINGS →

  1. 63Ceiling on land
  2. 64Future acquisition of land
  3. 65Surplus land to be surrendered to State Government
  4. 65ACertain lands deemed to be in excess of ceiling area
  5. 66Filing of declaration of holding
  6. 66APenalty for failure to furnish declaration
  7. 67Surrender of land in certain cases
  8. 67APayment for use and occupation of land
  9. 68Vesting of land surrendered by owner
  10. 69Vesting of land surrendered by limited owner
  11. 70Reversion and vesting of land surrendered by usufructuary mortgagee
  12. 71Vesting of land surrendered by tenant
  13. 72Amount payable for lands surrendered to and vesting in the State Government
  14. 73Claims for the amount and payment of the amount
  15. 74Prohibition of alienation of holding
  16. 75Excess land not to be surrendered in certain cases
  17. 76Taking possession of land vested in State Government
  18. 77Disposal of surplus land
  19. 77AGrant of land in certain cases
  20. 78Purchase price of surplus land
  21. 79Management of surplus lands

Chapter V RESTRICTIONS ON 1[HOLDING OR]1 TRANSFER OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS →

  1. 80Restrictions on transfer of certain lands
  2. 81ADeclaration to be made before the registering authority in certain cases
  3. 82Reporting of illegal transactions
  4. 83Inquiry regarding illegal transactions

Chapter VI PROVISIONS FOR CULTIVATION OF UNCULTIVATED LANDS →

  1. 84Uncultivated land may be required to be cultivated
  2. 85Power of Assistant Commissioner to lease out uncultivated land
  3. 86Cancellation of the lease
  4. 87Execution of lease, liability of land-owners, etc.
  5. 88Delivery of possession after the period of lease

Chapter VII CO-OPERATIVE FARMS →

  1. 89Formation of a Co-operative Farm
  2. 90Application for registration
  3. 91Registration of Co-operative Farm
  4. 92Members’ land transferred to the farm
  5. 93Consequences of registration
  6. 94Bye-laws of the Farm
  7. 95Amendment of the bye-laws by the Registrar
  8. 96Land contributed to the Farm to continue to vest in the land-owner thereof
  9. 97Rights, privileges, etc., of members
  10. 98Contribution by a member
  11. 99Liability of the Farm to land revenue and other dues
  12. 100Admission of new members
  13. 101Heirs deemed to be members of the Farm
  14. 102Concessions and facilities for the Co-operative Farm

Chapter VIII EXEMPTIONS →

  1. 104Plantations
  2. 106Amount payable to religious institutions etc.
  3. 107Act not to apply to certain lands
  4. 108Lands taken under management of Court of Wards, etc.
  5. 109Certain lands to be exempt from certain provisions
  6. 110Certain lands to be not exempt from certain provisions

Chapter IX PROCEDURE AND JURISDICTION OF 1[COURTS]1 AND APPEALS 2[111. x x x]2 →

  1. 112Duties of Tahsildar and Tribunal
  2. 113Application of the Code of Civil Procedure
  3. 114Commencement of proceedings
  4. 115Enquiries
  5. 116Execution of orders
  6. 118Appeals
  7. 118ARevision by the Regional Commissioner
  8. 119Stay of execution of orders
  9. 121Orders in appeal
  10. 121ARevision by the High Court
  11. 122Limitation
  12. 122AReview by the Tribunal
  13. 123Court-fees
  14. 124Enquiries and proceedings

Chapter X OFFENCES AND PENALTIES →

  1. 125Offences and penalties

Chapter XI MISCELLANEOUS →

  1. 126Application of Act to inams
  2. 127Legal assistance to poor tenants
  3. 127AMaximum amount payable under the Act
  4. 128Disposal of fragments
  5. 129Persons in possession not to be dispossessed except under lawful orders
  6. 130Summary eviction.
  7. 132Bar of jurisdiction.
  8. 133Suits, proceedings, etc., involving questions required to be decided by the Tribunal.
  9. 134Control
  10. 135Offences by companies.
  11. 136Indemnity.
  12. 137Rules
  13. 138Act to prevail over other enactments
  14. 139Removal of difficulties
  15. 140Rules and notification to be laid before the State Legislature
  16. 141Tenure Abolition Acts
  17. 142Repeal and savings

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