Supreme Court: State ownership of jagir lands upheld, appeals dismissed

The Supreme Court, sitting as a single judge, delivered its judgment on 29 October 2026 in the civil matter Bandari Ramchander & Ors v. Maitri Coop. Hsg. Society Ltd. Justice M.M. Sundresh dismissed the appellants’ appeals and the applications for impleadment and intervention. The Court held that the State’s title to the disputed parcels of land in Survey Nos. 100 and 101, Miyapur Village, is indefeasible and that the appellants have no enforceable right to the property.

The appellants asserted ownership of the two parcels on the basis of alleged inheritance, revenue entries and a purported purchase. They contended that these documents conferred a valid title despite the lands being classified as Sarkari poramboke since 1912. The State counter‑claimed that the lands fell within the ambit of the Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Area) Abolition of Jagirs Regulation, 1358 F, which extinguished jagir rights and vested ownership in the Government. The principal issue was whether the appellants’ claimed title survived the statutory abolition and payment of the commutation sum.

The Court observed that the Nizam’s firman had granted only limited jagir rights, which were terminated by the 1949 abolition regulation. It noted that the jagirdar status ceased, the prescribed commutation sum had been paid, and that the subsequent revenue entries and alleged purchase documents were unauthorised, fraudulent and barred by estoppel. Consequently, the State’s title was held to be indefeasible. All appeals and applications for impleadment or intervention were dismissed without costs.

Read the judgment and its head note on DLJ: Bandari Ramchander & Ors vs Maitri Coop. Hsg. Society Ltd. (2026 INSC 1175).