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THE CONSTITUTION (SEVENTEENTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 1964

Statement of Objects and Reasons appended to the Constitution
      (Nineteenth Amendment) Bill, 1964 which was enacted as
          THE CONSTITUTION (Seventeenth Amendment) Act, 1964

                   STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

Article  31A of the Constitution provides that a law in respect of the acquisition by the State of any estate or of any rights therein or the extinguishment  or modification of any such rights shall not be deemed to  be void on the ground that it is inconsistent with, or takes  away or  abridges any of the rights conferred by article 14, article 19  or article  31.   The  protection of this article is  available   only  in respect  of  such tenures as were estates on the 26th  January,  1950, when  the  Constitution came into force.  The expression "estate"   has been  defined differently in different States and, as a result of  the transfer  of  land  from  one  State to  another  on   account  of  the reorganisation  of  States,  the  expression has come  to   be  defined differently  in different parts of the same State.  Moreover, many  of the  land reform enactments relate to lands which are not included  in an  estate.   Several State Acts relating to land reform  were   struck down on the ground that the provisions of those Acts were violative of articles  14, 19 and 31 of the Constitution and that the protection of article  31A was not available to them.  It is, therefore, proposed to amend the definition of "estate" in article 31A of the Constitution by including therein, lands held under ryotwari settlement and also other lands  in respect of which provisions are normally made in land reform enactments.   It  is  further proposed to provide that where  any   law makes  a provision for the acquisition by the State of any estate  and where  any  land  comprised  therein is held by  a  person   under  his personal  cultivation, it shall not be lawful for the State to acquire any  such land as is within the ceiling limit applicable to him  under any  law  for  the time being in force or any  building  or   structure standing  thereon  or appurtenant thereto, unless the law relating  to the  acquisition  of  such land, building or  structure  provides   for payment  of  compensation  at a rate not less than  the  market   value thereof.

2.   It  is  also proposed to amend the Ninth  Schedule  by  including
therein  certain State enactments relating to land reform in order  to
remove  any  uncertainty  or doubt that may arise in regard  to   their
validity.

3. The Bill seeks to achieve these objects.

NEW DELHI;                                       A. K. SEN.

The 30th April, 1964.


THE CONSTITUTION (SEVENTEENTH AMENDMENT) ACT, 1964

                                        [20th June, 1964.]

An Act further to amend the Constitution of India.

BE  it enacted by Parliament in the Fifteenth Year of the Republic  of
India as follows:-

1.   Short title.-This Act may be called THE CONSTITUTION (Seventeenth
Amendment) Act, 1964.

2.  Amendment of article 31A.-In article 31A of the Constitution,-

(i)  in clause (1), after the existing proviso, the following  proviso
shall be inserted, namely:-

"Provided  further  that  where any law makes any  provision  for  the
acquisition  by  the State of any estate and where any land  comprised
therein  is held by a person under his personal cultivation, it  shall
not  be lawful for the State to acquire any portion of such land as is
within  the ceiling limit applicable to him under any law for the time
being  in  force  or  any building or structure  standing   thereon  or
appurtenant  thereto,  unless the law relating to the  acquisition  of
such land, building or structure, provides for payment of compensation
at a rate which shall not be less than the market value thereof.";

(ii) in clause (2), for sub-clause (a), the following sub-clause shall
be  substituted  and shall be deemed always to have been  substituted,
namely:-

`(a)  the  expression "estate" shall, in relation to any  local  area,
have  the same meaning as that expression or its local equivalent  has
in the existing law relating to land tenures in force in that area and
shall also include-

(i)  any jagir, inam or muafi or other similar grant and in the States
of Madras and Kerala, any janmam right;

(ii) any land held under ryotwari settlement;

(iii) any land held or let for purposes of agriculture or for purposes
ancillary thereto, including waste land, forest land, land for pasture
or  sites of buildings and other structures occupied by cultivators of
land, agricultural labourers and village artisans;'.

3.   Amendment  of  Ninth   Schedule.- In the  Ninth  Schedule  to  the
Constitution,  after  entry 20, the following entries shall be  added,
namely:---

"21.   The  Andhra Pradesh Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings Act,  1961
(Andhra Pradesh Act X of 1961).

22.   The  Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Area) Tenancy and Agricultural
Lands (Validation) Act, 1961 (Andhra Pradesh Act XXI of 1961).

23.   The  Andhra  Pradesh   (Telangana  Area)  Ijara  and  Kowli  Land
Cancellation  of  Irregular  Pattas   and  Abolition   of  Concessional
Assessment Act, 1961 (Andhra Pradesh Act XXXVI of 1961).

24.   The  Assam Sate Acquisition of Lands Belonging to  Religious  or
Charitable  Institution  of Public Nature Act, 1959 (Assam Act  IX  of
1961).

25.   The  Bihar Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 1953 (Bihar Act  XX  of
1954).

26.   The  Bihar Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling Area  and  Acquisi-
tion  of  Surplus  Land) Act, 1961 (Bihar Act XII  of  1962),   (except
section 28 of this Act).

27.   The  Bombay  Taluqdari Tenure Abolition  (Amendment)  Act,  1954
(Bombay Act I of 1955).

28.   The  Bombay  Taluqdari Tenure Abolition  (Amendment)  Act,  1957
(Bombay Act XVIII of 1958).

29.   The  Bombay Inams (Kutch Area) Abolition Act, 1958  (Bombay  Act
XCVIII of 1958).

30.   The Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands (Gujarat Amendment)
Act, 1960 (Gujarat Act XVI of 1960).

31.   The  Gujarat Agricultural Lands Ceiling Act, 1960  (Gujarat  Act
XXVII of 1961).

32.   The Sagbara and Mehwassi Estates (Proprietary Rights  Abolition,
etc.) Regulation, 1962 (Gujarat Regulation I of 1962).

33.   The  Gujarat Surviving Alienations Abolition Act, 1963  (Gujarat
Act  XXXIII  of  1963),  except in so far as this Act  relates   to  an
alienation  referred  to in sub-clause (d) of clause (3) of section  2
thereof.

34.   The  Maharashtra Agricultural Lands (Ceiling on  Holdings)  Act,
1961 (Maharashtra Act XXVII of 1961).

35.   The  Hyderabad  Tenancy and   Agricultural  Lands  (Re-enactment,
Validation  and  Further Amendment) Act, 1961 (Maharashtra Act  XLV
of 1961).

36.  The Hyderabad Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1950 (Hyderabad
Act XXI of 1950).

37.   The Jenmikaram Payment (Abolition) Act, 1960 (Kerala Act III  of
1961).

38.  The Kerala Land Tax Act, 1961 (Kerala Act XIII of 1961).

39.  The Kerala Land Reforms Act, 1963 (Kerala Act I of 1964).

40.  The Madhya Pradesh Land Revenue Code, 1959 (Madhya Pradesh Act XX
of 1959).

41.   The  Madhya Pradesh Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings  Act,  1960
(Madhya Pradesh Act XX of 1960).

42.   The Madras Cultivating Tenants Protection Act, 1955 (Madras  Act
XXV of 1955).

43.   The Madras Cultivating Tenants (Payment of Fair Rent) Act,  1956
(Madras Act XXIV of 1956).

44.   The  Madras Occupants of Kudiyiruppu (Protection from  Eviction)
Act, 1961 (Madras Act XXXVIII of 1961).

45.   The  Madras  Public  Trusts   (Regulation  of  Administration  of
Agricultural Lands) Act, 1961 (Madras Act LVII of 1961).

46.   The Madras Land Reforms (Fixation of Ceiling on Land) Act,  1961
(Madras Act LVIII of 1961).

47.  The Mysore Tenancy Act, 1952 (Mysore Act XIII of 1952).

48.  The Coorg Tenants Act.  1957 (Mysore Act XIV of 1957).

49.  The Mysore Village Offices Abolition Act, 1961 (Mysore Act XIV of
1961).

50.   The  Hyderabad Tenancy and Agricultural Lands (Validation)  Act,
1961 (Mysore Act XXXVI of 1961).

51.  The Mysore Land Reforms Act, 1961 (Mysore Act X of 1962).

52.  The Orissa Land Reforms Act, 1960 (Orissa Act XVI of 1960).

53.   The  Orissa Merged Territories (Village Offices Abolition)  Act,
1963 (Orissa Act X of 1963).

54.   The  Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953 (Punjab Act X  of
1953).

55.  The Rajasthan Tenancy Act, 1955 (Rajasthan Act III of 1955).

56.   The  Rajasthan  Zamindari   and  Biswedari  Abolition  Act,  1959
(Rajasthan Act VIII of 1959).

57.   The  Kumaun and Uttarkhand Zamindari Abolition and Land  Reforms
Act, 1960 (Uttar Pradesh Act XVII of 1960).

58.   The  Uttar Pradesh Imposition of Ceilinng on Land Holdings  Act,
1960 (Uttar Pradesh Act I of 1961).

59.   The West Bengal Estates Acquisition Act, 1953 (West Bengal Act I
of 1954).

60.   The  West  Bengal Land Reforms Act, 1955 (West Bengal Act  X  of
1956).

61.     The Delhi Land Reforme Act, 1954 (Delhi Act VIII  of 1954).

62.   The  Delhi Land Holdings (Ceiling) Act, 1960 (Central Act 24  of
1960).

63.  The Manipur Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960
(Central  Act 33 of  1960).

64.     The Tripura Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act, 1960 (Central
Act 43 of 1960).

Explanation.-Any  acquisition  made under the Rajasthan  Tenancy  Act,
1955  (Rajasthan  Act  III of 1955), in contravention  of  the   second
proviso  to  clause  (1) of article 31A shall, to the  extent  of   the
contravention, be void.".


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