Jharkhand HC declares Land Possession Certificate illegal for registration
Daltonganj, November 17: LPC, popularly known as the Land Possession Certificate, is no longer any legal or mandatory for the registration…
Daltonganj, November 17: LPC, popularly known as the Land Possession Certificate, is no longer any legal or mandatory for the registration of any sale/ purchase of land in Jharkhand.
The High Court of Jharkhand at Ranchi has given a judgement to this effect only on November 3, 2025.
This judgment came in the public domain on November 6 when it was uploaded. It’s a single bench judgment.
The judgment is in regard to WP (C) Number 75 of 2025.
It was Dhiraj Kumar Sah, through his Power of Attorney holder, Ravi Kumar, both of Deoghar district, vs the Secretary, Land Revenue Department, Government of Jharkhand, DC Deoghar, in-charge legal cell, Deoghar, and CO Deoghar. The single bench was of Justice Deepak Roshan.
The judgment reads “The requirement of a land possession certificate for carrying out registration (read land) is held to be illegal.”
Also Read- Bangladesh court orders death penalty for former PM Sheikh Hasina
Committee for Issuing LPC Also Declared Illegal
The judgement further reads, “The committee for the purpose of granting the land possession certificate is also declared to be illegal and without jurisdiction.”
The judgment makes it clear that the registering authority shall not demand a land possession certificate for registering any document presented before it.
A senior advocate, Ruchir Tiwary, has welcomed the neutralisation of the land possession certificate for the registry of land, saying it will help put a check on corruption in the offices of the Rajaswa Karyalaya from karamchari to the CO.
The senior advocate further said even for a one or two decimals of land possession certificate, the land holder has to cough up sizeable money to obtain the LPC.
Officials Await Government’s Executive Order
Additional Collector Kundan Kumar speaking to the Jharkhand Story Network said, “It’s a judgment of the single bench. There is no executive order for it from the government so far. We are to wait for the executive order.”
Asked if the state government can go for an appeal or a bigger bench judgement, to which Kundan Kumar said, “The doors are wide open for the government.”
Also Read- Red Fort blast: Al-Falah University chief summoned in two cases; 2,000 Kashmiri students questioned
Background and Future Course
Land possession certificate was introduced in the registry of land by the then chief minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das.
It was not mandated, rather it was one among quite a few essential requirements for the registry of land.
Additional Collector said “Certified copy of Khatiyan was essential but in absence of it, entry of land details in register 2, again where register 2 was not sufficing, then land possession certificate was an inthing and where land possession certificate was not available then a correction slip.”
A mere application for land possession certificate which if not decided upon, or released in 15 days from the date of applying for it, would have made to presume the land was in possession of the seller etc.
Sources said all eyes are on two things. First, the executive order of the government. Two, what if the state government challenges it on its legal merit?
