Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday, 8 July told the state Legislative Assembly that only individuals with valid proof of being a farmer would be permitted to purchase agricultural land in the state. The declaration, made in response to a query over an alleged land scam in Dhule district, signals a significant tightening of land acquisition rules and a crackdown on what officials describe as organised land mafias operating across Maharashtra.

The Dhule Land Scam That Triggered the Announcement

The issue was raised by Dhule MLA Anup Agrawal, who flagged alleged illegal land purchases in the Vadjai, Pimpri, and Narvahal areas of Dhule district, reportedly involving buyers from outside Maharashtra who circumvented existing regulations. Bawankule took serious note of the complaints, revealing that a preliminary inquiry had already found that in two cases, buyers could not produce valid proof of being farmers.

The minister further disclosed that land extracts bearing the Tehsildar's seal submitted by MLA Agrawal appeared to be forged. He announced that the entire matter would be investigated by the Superintendent of Police (SP), Dhule. 'Directions have been issued to register cases against those involved in cheating, forgery and tampering with government records,' Bawankule said.

The 2010 Illegal Re-Entry: What Happened

Explaining the disputed land's history, the minister said that after the original owners sold the land, it was transferred to the names of 44 members of the Jayprakash Housing Society. However, in 2010, heirs of the original owners allegedly colluded with revenue officials to have the land illegally re-entered in their names before selling it once more.

'Once the land is sold, there is no question of the heirs' names being entered again,' Bawankule stated. The government has now directed the Superintendent of Land Records (SLR) to review the case. The incorrect heir entries made in 2010 are to be cancelled immediately, and the rights of the original 44 housing society members will be restored. Changes allegedly made through misuse of Section 155 will also be annulled.

New Digital Verification Mechanism Across Maharashtra

A separate inquiry mechanism will be constituted under Divisional Commissioner Pravin Gedam to investigate the Dhule transactions. More broadly, the minister announced that a stricter verification system will be rolled out statewide through the Commissioner of Land Records, backed by digital mapping of land records.

In a key operational change, stamp duty officers across Maharashtra have been granted direct access to the Commissioner of Land Records database. This means that at the point of registration, an officer can instantly verify whether the prospective buyer holds land elsewhere in the state and where the relevant 7/12 extract is recorded. 'If any non-farmer from outside the state is found to be suspicious, the registration will be stopped immediately and verification will be carried out,' Bawankule said.

Sindhudurg and Mopa Airport Area Also Under Scrutiny

The concern is not limited to Dhule. MLA Jayant Patil raised the issue of large-scale land purchases by outsiders near Dodamarg in Sindhudurg district and around the Mopa Airport area — regions where land values have surged in recent years, reportedly attracting speculative buyers posing as farmers.

This comes amid a broader pattern of agricultural land being acquired by non-farmers in peri-urban and airport-adjacent zones across India, often exploiting gaps in state-level verification systems. Bawankule expressed confidence that the new real-time digital system would effectively curb fraudulent farmer impersonation in land transactions going forward.