Supreme Court allows review of shamlat deh land judgment

Key Points

• 1The Supreme Court allowed a review of a 2022 judgment concerning shamlat deh land in Haryana.
• 2Shamlat deh is village common land created by landowners for common village purposes.
• 3The 2022 decision upheld a 1992 amendment to the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1961.
• 4The review was allowed because the 2022 decision disregarded an important Constitution Bench decision in Bhagat Ram vs State of Punjab (1967).
• 5The 2003 High Court judgment gave partial relief to landowners by distinguishing between land reserved for common purposes and land contributed by proprietors not reserved for common purposes.
• 6The Bench in Karnail Singh vs State of Haryana (2024), found that the 2022 decision was contrary to the Constitution Bench in Bhagat Ram.