Disposal of surplus land

(1) Surplus land vesting in the State Government under this Act, land directed to be disposed of under sub-section (3) of section 45, section 58, section 60, land vesting in the State Government under section 79A, section 79B or under any other provision of this Act, may, subject to reservation of seventy-five per cent thereof for grant to persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes and subject to such restrictions and conditions as may be prescribed in this behalf, be granted by the Deputy Commissioner or any other officer authorised by the State Government in this behalf to the following persons to the extent and in the manner as may be prescribed: (i) Dispossessed tenants who are not registered as occupants; (ii) Displaced tenants having no land; (iii) Landless agricultural labourers; (iv) landless persons or other persons residing in villages in the same Panchayat area whose gross annual income does not exceed Rs. 20,000 and ex-military personnel whose gross annual income does not exceed Rs. 22,000; (v) Released bonded labourers; (vi) x x x Explanation.—(1) "Dispossessed tenant" means a person who not being member of the family of the owner was cultivating lands personally and was dispossessed between 10th September 1957 and 24th January 1971 and who is not registered as an occupant under the provisions of this Act. Explanation.—(2) "Displaced tenant" means a person who has been deprived of agricultural land on which he was a tenant, on account of,— (i) acquisition of such land under the Land Acquisition Act; or (ii) resumption of such land by a soldier or a seaman for personal cultivation. (2) The lands reserved for persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes shall be granted in accordance with such rules as may be prescribed. (2A) Notwithstanding anything in any law, no land granted under this section shall be transferred by the grantee or his legal representatives for a period of fifteen years from the date of the grant except by way of mortgage in favour of a financial institution and for the purposes specified in sub-section (2) of section 61. (2B) The Deputy Commissioner or the authorised officer shall forward a copy of the order granting land under this section to the concerned Sub-Registrar who shall, notwithstanding anything in the Registration Act, 1908 (Central Act 16 of 1908) or any other law, register the same. (3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), the State Government may, if it considers that any land vesting in it is required for any public purpose, reserve such land for such purpose.