Maharashtra Govt Makes Farmer Proof Mandatory For Agricultural Land Purchases; Revenue Minister Announces Crackdown On Illegal Deals
Maharashtra Govt Makes Farmer Proof Mandatory For Agricultural Land Purchases; Revenue Minister Announces Crackdown On Illegal Deals
Mumbai, July 9, 2026: The Maharashtra government has announced that anyone seeking to purchase agricultural land in the state will now be required to submit valid proof establishing that they are a farmer. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule made the announcement in the Legislative Assembly while responding to concerns over alleged illegal land purchases by individuals from outside the state.
The issue was raised during the ongoing Assembly session, with allegations that non-farmers had acquired agricultural land by circumventing existing regulations. Bawankule said the government has taken serious note of the complaints, particularly those from Dhule district, and has decided to tighten the verification process.
The minister announced that a dedicated inquiry mechanism will be established under the leadership of Divisional Commissioner Pravin Gedam to investigate the disputed land transactions. During the preliminary investigation, officials found that in two cases, the buyers had failed to produce valid proof of being farmers. Authorities also suspect that the land records bearing the Tahsildar’s seal submitted in these cases may have been forged.
The investigation will now be carried out under the supervision of the Dhule Superintendent of Police. The government has directed officials to register criminal cases against those involved in fraud, forgery, and manipulation of government land records.
To strengthen the verification process, all stamp and registration officials across Maharashtra have been granted direct access to the database maintained by the Commissioner of Land Records (Jamabandi). This will allow officials to instantly verify whether a land purchaser already owns agricultural land in the state and access their 7/12 land records during the registration process.
If a person from outside Maharashtra is found to be a non-farmer or their credentials appear suspicious, the land registration will be immediately halted for verification.
Bawankule said the new digital verification system is expected to effectively curb fraudulent land transactions and prevent individuals from posing as farmers to illegally acquire agricultural land in Maharashtra.
