Summary: A long-standing land dispute in Aurangabad involving Murlidhar Keshav Dixit and others, known as the Inamdars, and the State of Maharashtra has been resolved in favor of the Inamdars. The court found that the land was permanent and could be sold or transferred, and thus didn't require certain payments to keep living on it.
This case involves multiple parties, but the main people are the Inamdars, represented by Murlidhar Keshav Dixit and others, and the State of Maharashtra. The dispute is about land in Satara, Aurangabad, which was originally given as an Inam, a type of land gift.
The conflict began when renters claimed rights to live on the land under the Hyderabad Abolition Inam and Cash Grants Act, 1954. In 1991, the Deputy Collector recognized these rights, but the decision was challenged multiple times, reaching the Supreme Court, which dismissed the renters' claims.
In 2010, a local MLA filed a complaint, saying that the renters' case wasn't properly shown. This led to a new order in 2014 by the Deputy Collector to take control of the land, claiming that the Inamdars didn't pay the required fee for living on the land.
"The MLA insisted and pressured for this," argued the Inamdars' lawyer, suggesting unfair influence in the proceedings.
Judge R. M. Joshi ruled that the land was indeed a "Madad Mash" Inam, which is permanent and can be sold or transferred. This means it falls under Section 5 of the 1954 Act, exempting it from the fee requirements that apply to other types of Inams.
The court found that the authorities had wrongly applied Section 6 to the Inamdars' land.
The court's decision confirms that the Inamdars have the right to their land without paying the fee, as their land is classified under Section 5. This ruling not only ends a long-standing dispute but also clarifies the legal status of similar land gifts across the region.
