What are the Land Grants in Telangana & AP Region and its Supported Acts

LAND GRANTS IN TELANGANA:

The grants were of several kinds and were known under different expressions, such as jagir, samasthan, maktha, and inam. Basically the nature of land is classified as Jagirs, Maktas, Agraharas, Inams, Serilands, Diwani, Sarf-e-Khas, Paigah etc. For more details on the nature of land and types of inams refer chapter 2 of agrarian society in telangana.

Maktha / Maqta land:

Maktha was a land grant in India similar to a jagir. The grants were of several kinds and were known under different expressions, such as jagir, samasthan, maktha, and inam. If the grant was of a whole village, it was generally referred to as a jagir or samasthan, but if the grant pertained only to a certain land in a given village, it was called an inam or maktha.

Makthedar (Inamdar) - Makthedar is a person who holds a maktha land. Makthedar is also called as Inamdar.

Types of Maqtas

Pan-Maqta
bil-maqta

Pan-Maqta:

This category of land tenure was in existence until the reforms were introduced by salar Jung I.

Pan-Makhta is a Kowl or tenure by contract resorted to by former Governments, in which lands varying in extent from small isolated fields to whole village, and groups of villages, were given to the holders on a fixed quit-rent without liability to enhancement. These were also some Makhta on which no quit rent was levied and thus, they very much resembled Inam or revenue-free grants. The quit rent was always less than the full assessment of the lands assigned and the concession was meant to profit the tenure holders. The grants were either in perpetuity or for a life or lives. The Government now does not make Pan-Makhta grants as these are unnecessary now owing to keen demand for land. As regards grants by previous governments, the policy has been to recognize the grantees as proprietors and to continue the grants if they are proved to be valid. The rights of Makhtadars were examined, like those of other state grantees, by the Inam commission and such rights as were proved to be valid were secured to the holders.

Salarjung not only discontinued the practice of granting lands as pan-mukta but the titles claimed under the category were referred to the Inam commission for verification.

Bill Maqta:

Here, the land was given to the holder in return for annual fixed cash rent. This payment was also called peshkush, and to add to the confusion, for certain influential residents it was also called bil-maqta. As the samasthan families “held” their lands prior to the AsafJah period, some were defined by additional terminology (pan-maqta, bil-maqta, Peshkash etc) to distinguish them in rank from the others.

Jagir :

Jagir was the land allotted to some official on his merit basis.That official was free to rule and collect tax from the residents of that area. Sometimes he had to give part of tax to sultan or the king but many times he was free to rule that area.

A jagir, also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, starting in the early 13th century, wherein the powers to govern and collect tax from an estate was granted to an appointee of the state. The tenants were considered to be in the servitude of the jagirdar. There were two forms of jagir, one being conditional and the other unconditional. The conditional jagir required the governing family to maintain troops and provide their service to the state when asked. The land grant was called iqta, usually for a holder's lifetime, and the land reverted to the state upon the death of the jagirdar.

Jagirdari:

The jagirdar system was introduced by the Delhi Sultanate, and continued during the Mughal Empire, but with a difference. In the Mughal times, the jagirdar collected taxes which paid his salary and the rest to the Mughal treasury, while the administration and military authority was given to a separate Mughal appointee. Britishers were given a jagir of 90 × 70 k.m ^2 (approximately ) by a Tamil ruler which gave them a base to establish themselves in India . Similarly the mughal jagirdars too declared themselves independent which also became a factor behind disintegration of mughal empire .After the collapse of Mughal Empire, the system of jagirs was retained by Rajput, Saini and Sikh jat kingdoms, and later in a form by the British East India Company.

For more details on Hyderabad State and administrations click on Modern Hyderabad (Deccan) https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Modern_Hyderabad_(Deccan)/Chapter_5

Samasthan:

Samsthan or Peshkash: Samsthanswere former Hindu states which afterlosing their independence during medieval times to Muslim conquerors,continued their existence in modern period by paying annual tribute to thereigning Muslim sovereigns. In other words, they came to function as vassal territories. The annual tribute that used to be paid since the Mughal times by these samsthandars had come to be called peshkash or pan both terms being used synonymously. Pan-maqtadars (one who pays tax/pan/peshkash).

Inam:

Inaam (Arabic) means gift. There were certain Inam lands which were known as Pargana Watan Inam Lands. As per The Telangana and Revenue Act, 1317F of (10) “Inam land‟ means the land exempted wholly or in part from payment of land revenue and includes “Maqta‟ and “Agrahar‟ land.

Inamdar:

Inamdar was a feudal title prevalent before and during British Raj, including during the Maratha rule of Peshwa and other rulers of India. The title was bestowed upon to the person who received lands as Inam (grant or as a gift), rewarding the extraordinary service rendered to the ruler or the princely state. In the colonial age, the British enacted several laws which defined rights and obligations of Inamdar in their territories, like the Madras Inams Act VIII of 1869.There was a separate post of Inam Commissioner to look after revenue and records of Inam lands. There were certain Inam lands which were known as Pargana Watan Inam Lands.

Acts and Laws on Grant Lands - Telangana & AP States:

Section 4 of Andhra Pradesh(Telangana Area) abolition of Inam Act,1955 “Every inamdar shall, with effect from the date of vesting, be entitled to be registered as an occupant of all inam lands other than : (a) lands set apart for the village community, grazing lands, waste lands, forest lands, mines and quarries, tanks, tank beds and irrigation works streams and rivers;”.
Record of Rights (Telangana Area) Amendment Act, 2017 (TELANGANA ORDINANCE No. 1 OF 2017) or Telangan G.O 1 of 2017 states that - Whereas, the Rulers of the erstwhile Hyderabad Statemade grants in the nature of Jagir, Samsthan, Maktha, Paigha, Inam etc. The law relating to Crown Grants made in former Hyderabad State is well settled by Courts. EveryGrant made by the Ruler was only for the lifetime of the grantee and it is neither heritable nor alienable. On the death of the Grantee, the Grant reverts to the Crown and it was in the sole discretion of the Crown to re-grant; or;
Section 12-A.(1) (Protection to the State and Central Government lands.) of the “THE TELANGANA RIGHTS IN LAND AND PATTADAR PASSBOOKS ACT, 1971” states that, Notwithstanding any judgment, decree, order, proceeding of court or any other authority, save the authority prescribed under the Hyderabad (Abolition of Jagirs) Regulation, 1358F., and rules thereof,all the Jagir lands including Paigah, Samsthans part of Jagir, Maktha, Village Agrahar, Umli and Mukasa, etc.,within the meaning of Hyderabad (Abolition of Jagirs) Regulation, 1358F, which stood vested in the State under the said Act, the title and ownership of such Jagir lands shall never be transferred or shall never be deemed to have been transferred to any person.

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