Vidhi Codex

The Pattazhi Devaswom Lands (Vesting and Enfranchisement) Act, 1961

The Pattazhi Devaswom Lands (Vesting and Enfranchisement) Act, 1961

Civil196115 sections

This Act reforms land ownership by extinguishing the property rights and rent claims of the Pattazhi Devi Temple and its subordinate temples over tenanted and uncultivated lands in Kerala. It applies to the temple authorities, agricultural tenants holding temple lands under various tenures, and local revenue administrators. Under the law, tenants receive full, transferable ownership rights over their land holdings, while uncultivated waste lands vest directly in the state government. The state compensates the temple financially, and tenants pay a structured amount to the government to obtain formal title deeds. This law reshaped rural land governance by abolishing religious feudal landholding practices.

Start reading →Read full ActSections
  1. 0. Preamble
  2. 1. Short title and commencement.
  3. 2. Saving.
  4. 3. Definitions.
  5. 4. Cessation of the rights of the Temple.
  6. 5. Tenants to be proprietors and tharissu to vest in Government.
  7. 6. Compensation to the Temple.
  8. 7. Tenants to pay compensation for rights vested in them.
  9. 8. Liability to pay basic tax and cess on land.
  10. 9. Issue of pattas, etc., to tenants.
  11. 10. Amounts due to Government to be recoverable under the Revenue Recovery Act.
  12. 11. Indemnity.
  13. 12. Power to make rules.
  14. 13. Power to remove difficulties.
  15. Schedule. ACT 21 OF 1961 THE PATTAZHI DEVASWOM LANDS (VESTING AND ENFRANCHISEMENT) ACT, 1961*

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