Tenant Rights vs. Land Cultivation: Bombay High Court’s Insightful Take on Section 32R of the Tenancy Act.
In a rural country like India, land is more than just soil—it's livelihood, identity, and dignity. But what happens when a tenant, due to genuine hardships, is unable to cultivate their land personally? Does that automatically make them liable for eviction? The Bombay High Court recently tackled this very question—and its ruling is a significant moment for tenant rights. fact the case The case involved a family of tenants who had been in possession of agricultural land since 1st April 1957 . The father of the primary petitioner was officially declared the deemed purchaser by the Agricultural Land Tribunal , meaning he had the right to own the land he had been cultivating. However, a problem arose—at some point, the land was not being personally cultivated by the petitioner. This led to questions under Section 32R of the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948 , which deals with the consequences faced by a purchaser who fails to personally cultivate the...