Karnataka govt to amend Act to safeguard SC/ST lands

The Cabinet on Tuesday is said to have approved amendments to the Karnataka Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands) Act, known as the PTCL Act. 

According to sources, the Cabinet decided to insert a section to specify that no time restriction is applicable to SC/ST beneficiaries to approach courts, seeking restoration of lands granted to them.

In some cases, courts have dismissed cases of petitioners where the sale or transfer of land happened 25-30 years ago.

However, dalit activists have been opposing it, claiming that numerous such transfers had taken place 2-3 decades ago and that the legal heirs of the land grantees deserved justice. 

The 1978 Act is silent on the time limit and there were demands to ensure that the spirit of the law is not diluted.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday had assured the SC/ST community that the government was committed to protecting their land rights.

The amendment Bill is likely to be tabled in the legislature on Wednesday. 

The Cabinet is also said to have approved an amendment to the Motor Vehicles Act, where cases pertaining to compensation up to Rs 1 crore would be sent to district courts, relieving the High Court of such burden.

With this move, the High Court’s pendency of cases in this regard will come down by two lakh cases, sources said.