Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday told the Legislative Assembly that lands held by Christian missionaries across Maharashtra will be subjected to a thorough inspection, with the Settlement Commissioner (Jamabandi Ayukt) tasked to complete the scrutiny within three months. The announcement marks one of the most sweeping land-record audits targeting religious organisations in the state in recent memory.

Key Developments

According to Bawankule, the land records of Christian missionaries in Nashik will be the first to come under the scanner. A high-level committee will be constituted under the chairmanship of the Divisional Commissioner to conduct an in-depth probe. The panel will include a representative from the Settlement Commissioner's office, an official from the Police Department, and a representative from the Inspector General of Registration (IGR).

The minister added that the government is actively considering reclaiming private lands found to be involved in irregularities. However, he noted that a different approach would be adopted for plots where residential developments or government buildings already exist, with a final decision to follow the three-month probe.

The Dhule District Angle

Bawankule separately flagged concerns over land purchases by non-farmers in Dhule district, stating that data on such transactions is currently being compiled. Under existing tenancy laws applicable to Dhule, only a registered farmer is permitted to purchase agricultural land in Maharashtra. Instances of non-farmers — including individuals from outside the state — acquiring land in violation of these rules have reportedly come to light.

The minister also pointed to land acquisitions near Mopa Airport, where people from other states are said to have purchased land. The Settlement Commissioner is compiling statewide data to identify all such cases where buyers do not hold farmer status.

New Verification Mechanism for Registration Officers

To curb illegal transactions at the point of registration itself, stamp duty and registration officers have now been granted systemic access to a centralised database. This allows them to verify, in real time, whether a prospective buyer holds a Satbara (7/12 land record extract) anywhere else in the state before a transaction is formalised.

This is a structural shift in how Maharashtra's land registration machinery operates — moving verification upstream rather than relying on post-facto audits alone.

What Happens If Violations Are Found

If outsiders from other states are found to have illegally acquired land in Dhule, the minister said a dedicated mechanism involving the Divisional Commissioner and senior officials will be established to investigate and initiate action. The government's stated position is that irregularly held private lands could be subject to reclamation, though the precise legal pathway for that process has not yet been detailed.

With the three-month deadline now in place, the findings of the Settlement Commissioner's report are expected to shape Maharashtra's land policy toward religious and non-farmer buyers in the months ahead.