The Punjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953

The P unjab Security of Land Tenures Act, 1953 
Re ser va ti on of land by small land owners 
Fresh reservation of l and due to mod ifi cation of allotment 
5-A . Declaration s upported by affidavits to be furn ished by cert ai n
lando wners and tenants 
5-B . Selectio n of pe rm issib le area and conseque nces 
of failure to select 
... 219 
... 220 
.. . 223 
... 223 
... 223 
... 224
... 225 
7. Omit ted •. .
8. Continu ity of tenancies 
9. Liability of tenant to be ejected 
9-A.
9-B. On e time concession 
9-B. Benef it to the membe rs o f Armed Forces 
10 . Restoration of te nant ejec ted afte r t he 15th of August , 19 47
10- A. Surplus area for resettlement of ejected tenants 
10-B . Saving by inheri tance not to apply after utilisa ti on
of surplus area 
11. Tenant 's right to water 
13. As sess ment of charges for services or facilities 
prov ided by the landowner 
14 . Duty of landowner to furnish receipt 
for rent rece ived from tenant 
.. . 225 
.. . 225 
.. .226 
... 228 
...229 
... 229 
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... 230 
... 231 
... 2 32
.. . 232 

14-A . Procedure for ejectment and recovery of arrears of rents etc. 
15 . Omit ted 
16 . Sav ing of tenancies from effect of mala fide transfer 
17 . Right of cer tain tenants to p re-empt sale etc . of land 
17 -A . Ce rtain sa les of tenan cy l and not pre- emptible 
17-B . Ce rta in mo rtgagees to b e dee med tenants under the Act 
... 232 
... 234 
... 234 
... 234 
... 235 
... 236 
18. Righ ts of c ertain tenants to pu rchase land 236 
19. Secti ons 17 and 18 not to apply to certain property a nd te nant s 239 
19- A. Ba r of future acq uisit ion of land in excess of permissible area 
19 -B . Fut ure acq uis it ion of land by inheritance ,
in excess of permissible area 
19- C. Powe r to cause delivery of possess ion o f surplus area 
19 -0. Exemp ti on o f certain lands 
19-00 . Exemp ti on o f l ands gra nted for gallantry 
befo re 26 th January , 1950 
19-E. Land owned by Hindu undivided fam ily 
to be deemed land of one landowner 
21. Savin g of te nan ts and lessees under Government 
21-A. Power to remove diffic ulties by mod ificati on s of 
provis ions in ce rtain cases 
22 . Procedure for ejectment 
23 . Abrogation of pending decrees , orders and notices 
24 . Appea l, review and revis ion 
24-A . Power to separate share of landowners in join lands 
25. E xcl us ion o f Cour ts a nd aut hori ties 
... 239 
... 240 
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... 242 
... 242
... 242 
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... 243
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.. . 244 
... 2 44 
... 244 

Punjab Securit y of Lan d Tenu res A ct, 1953 
[Rec eived the assent of the President on the 15th Apri l 19 53, an d was fi rst publi shed 
in th e Punjab Gov ernment Gazette ( Ex traordinar y) of the 1 5th April , 1953.J 
An Act to provide for t he securit y of land ten ure and oth er i nci dent al
mat ters. 
It i s hereb y enacted a s follow s:- 
1.' Sho rt t itl e, extent and commencement .- (1 ) Thi s Act may be ca ll ed 
the Punjab Security of Land Tenur es A ct . 19 53 .
For Punj ab only 
Section 28 of the Punjab Land Reform s Act , 19 72, is re prod uced a s unde r :-
~Repeal and Sav in g.- "28 . (1) The Punjab S ec urit y of La nd T enur es Ac t,
1953 , an d th e Pepsu Tenancy and A gricultur al Land s Ac t. 1955 . insofar a s
these as inco nsistent with the p rovisions of thi s Act, are h er~by repeal ed.
(2) The repea l of t he enactments m entioned in sub- section (I) herein af ter
re fe rred to as t he sa id enactments , s hal l not a ff ect- 
(i) t he pro ceedings for t he deter min atio n of the surplu s a rea pendin g
immediatel y befor e the commencement of th is .\ct , under eit her of 
the sa id enac tm ents , whic h shall b e c on tinu ed an d di spo sed of as if
this Act had not been p asse d and th e s urplu s a re a s o determined 
shall vest in , an d b e utili sed b y the State Go vernment in accordanc e
with t he prov isions of this Act: 
Provided t hat such procee din gs s hall , as f ar as may be, continued and 
di spo sed of, from t he stage th ese were imm edi ately before t he
co mmenc ement of this Act , i~ accordanc e wit h h e pr oc edur e
speci fied by o r und er t his Act [and th e cas es pendin g bef or e he
Pepsu La nd Commission immediat ely before th e date o f
commence ment of thi s Act shall stand tran sferred to the Coll ec tor o f
the di strict co ncer ned fo r disposal:] 
Pr ovided further t hat no thing in th is section s hall affect th e dete rm inatio n
and uti li sa tion of t he s urp lus area ot her t han the sur plu s ar ea r eferr ed
to a bove i n accor dance with the provi sions of th is Act :

(ii) the p rev ious operat ion of the said enac tm ent s or anyt hing duly do ne
or suffered thereunder :
(iii) any right, privilege, ob ligat ion o r li ab il ity ac qui red , acc ru ed or 
incurred under the said e nactm ent s, in sofa r as s uch ri ght, pr ivi lege 
obligation or liability is not i ncon sistent with the p rovisi on s of t his 
Act an d a ny p roce edin g or r emedy in re spect of such ri ght .
privi lege. obligation or liab il ity may be inst ituted , continued or 
en forced a s if this Act had not bee n p asse d:
Pro vided that such proceeding or re medy s hall , as fa r as may be, be
in stituted , contin ued or enforced i n accor danc e wi th th e proce dur e
spec if ied b y or under thi s Act .' ' ]
(2) It sha ll come i nto force at once. 
(3) It shall extend to the w hole of t he State of Punjab . I[Principal 
Terr it or ies in Haryana] 
2[(4)Save as e lsew here ex press ly pr ovide d in thi s Act nothin g co ntain ed
th erein sha ll app ly to co -opera tive garde n co lonies were registered 
before the comi ng in to fo rce of this Act .]
Comm ents 
Obj ec t of th e Act -
(i ) Pro vide a 'permissib le a rea' of 30 sta nd ar d ac res to be a l andown er/tenant .
which he can r etain for self-c ul tiva tion ...•
(i i) Provid e sec urity of tenure to tenants by reducing t heir liabi li ty to eje ctment a s
specified in S ec tion 9. 
(iii ) Asce rtain surplu s areas and e nsu re re-sett lem ent of ej ected tena nt s on th ose area s. 
(iv) F ix ma ximum r ent pa yab le by te nants , and 
(v) Con fer rights on tenants to pre -empt and purc has e thei r te nancies in cel1ai n
cir cum stances ." Gurba x S ill gh v. Stal e of Punjab , AIR 1964 SC 502 ; see a lso
Aj mer S ing h v. Sla le o f Ha rya lla , 1990 PLJ 116 SC 
2. De finiti ons.- In thi s Act , unle ss the context otherwise require s, -
(1) "Landowner " means a person defi ned as s uch i n th e Punj ab L and 
Revenue Act , 1887 (Act XV II of 1887) , and shall in clud e an "a llot tee " and 
"lessee " as defi ned in clauses ( b) and (c), respecti vely , of sectio n 2 of the 
East Punjab Disp laced Persons ( Land R ese ttl ement) Act. 1 949 (Act XXXV I
of 1949), here ina fter referred to as t he "Resett leme nt Act ".
Ex planation . - In re spect of lan d m ortgage d w ith po ssession, the 
mortgagee shall be dee med to be the landow ner .
(2) "Small landowner " means a landow ner whose e nti re la nd i n the State 
of Punjab doe s not exceed the "pem 1issib le a rea ".
Explanation .-In comput ing the area hel d by a ny part icul ar la ndowner the 
entire land o wned b y in the State of Punjab , as entered i n the record -of-ri ght s
1 The word s 'Sta te of P unj ab' sub stituted vide Harya na Adapt ation Of Laws: 196 8. 
2 Substitut ed by Punjab Act 11 of 1955 .

shall be taken into account, and if he is a joint owner only his share shall b e
taken into account .
I [(3) "Permissible area' ; in relatlOn to a landowner or a tenant . mean s
thirty standard acres and where such thirty standard acre s on being convert ed
into ordinary acres exceed sixty acres, such sixty acres:- 
Provided that:- 
(i) no area under an orchard at the commencement of thi s Act . shall b e
taken into account in computing the permissible area. 
(ii) for a displaced person -
(a) who has been allotted land in excess of fift y s tandard acre s, th e
pennissible area shall be fifty standard acre s or on e hundre d
ordinary acres , as the case may be; 
(b) who has been allotted land in excess of thirty standard acr es , but 
'less than fifty standard acres , the pem1issible area shall be equal 
to this allotted area; 
(c) who has been allotted land less than thirty standard acre s, th e
permissible are shall be thirty standard acre s, inclu din g an y
2 other land or part thereof, ifany, that he owns in addition.] 
[Explanation .- For the purposes of detennining the permis sible area of a
displaced person, the provisions of proviso (ii) shall not apply to the heirs and 
successors of the displaced person to whom land is allotted.] 
(4) "Reserved area" means the area lawfully reserved under the 3[Punjab 
Tenants (Security of Tenures) Act, 1950 (Act XXII of 1950)] as amended by 
President's Act of 1951 hereinafter referred to as the "1950 Act " or under 
this Act . ,. 
(5) "Standard acre" means a measure of area convertible into ordinary 
acres of any class of land according to the prescribed scale with reference to 
the quantity of yield and quality of soii. 
4[(5_a) "Surplus area" means the area other than the reserved area. and 
where no area has been reserved, the area in exces 
s of the pelmissible area 
selected 5[under section 5-B or the area which is deemed to be surplus area 
under sub- section (1) of section 5-C] 6[and includes the area in excess of the 
permissible area selected under Section 19-B] , but it will not include a
tenant 's pennissible area: 
Provided that it will include the reserved area. or part thereof where such 
area or part has not been brought under self- culvitation within si x month s
1 Substituted by Punjab Act II of 1955. 
2 Added by Punjab Act No. 14 of 1962 and shall be deemed to have come into force on the 
15th April , 1953 ,- vide section I(2) of the Act I J of 1955. 
3 Repealed b y Section 28 of this Act .
4 New clause (5-a) added by Punjab Act I I of 1965. 
5 Substituted for the words "as prescribed by Punjab Act No . 46 of 1957 . section 2. 
6 In sertcd by Punjab Act No . 14of 1 %2 and shall be deemcd to ha vc comc into for cc on the
30th Jul y, 1958 . Clause 5(a) shall be deemed to h av e been in serted with effec t f rom th e
15th April . 1958,- vide section 10 of Punjab Act No . 46 of 1957 .

The Pun jab Sec urit y of La nd Tenur esAc t, 1953
of reservin g th e sa me or ge ttmg pos sessio n th ere of after ej ecting a
tena nt from it which ever is 'la ter , or if th e land owner admi ts a ne" v
te nant, wit hin three year s of the ex pir y of th e sa id s ix months. 
(6 ) "Te nant " has th e me aning assi gned to it in the Punj ab Te nancy A ct,
1887 (Ac t XVI o f 1887) , and in cl ud es a s ub-t ena nt and self-cu lti vat in g less ee. 
but shan not i nclud e a pr ese nt holde r, as de fine d in se cti on 2 of t he
Reset tlem ent Act .
(7) " Year " mea ns an agr icultural ye ar a s defi ned i n SectIon 4 of t he
Punjab Tenanc y Act , 1887 (Ac t XV I of 1887) .
(8) "Land" all o ther term s use d. bu t not def ined in t hi s Act, shall h ave t he 
same mea nin g as a re ass igned t o th em in t he Pu njab Tena ncy Act, 1887 (Ac t
XV I of 1 887 ). 
1 [( 8-A) "N on- Resid ent Indi an" mea ns a p erso n of Indian origin wh o is
eit her pen nanently o r t empo rar il y se tt led o ut side India. in e ithe r ca se :-
(a) f or or on t akin g a n e mployment out side Indi a; or
(b) fo r ca ITy ing on a busin ess or vocatio n out sid e Ind ia: o r
(c) fo r any o ther purp ose, in such circ ums tances as w ould md ica te hl S
intentio n to stay o uts id e In dia for a n uncer tai n peri od.]
2[(9) "Se lf-cul tivation " mea ns cult iv ation b y a lan do wner either per sonally 
or throu gh his wif e or children, or th ro ugh such of hi s relat ion s as may be 
presc rib ed. or unoc r hi s s uper vision .]
(l0 ) " Pre scrib ed" mea ns prescr ib ed b y rul es made und er t his Ac t.
(11 ) "Di spl aced perso n" has th e mea ning ass igned to it in the East Pun ja b
Dis pl ac ed Pe rso ns (La nd R ese tt le men t) Ac t, 19 49 (Ac t XXXV I of 194 9):
Comments 
Co mpu ta ti on of permi ss ib le a rea -
(I) The re leva nt da te for determinin g is 15th April, 1953. th e date on whi ch the 
Act ca me in to force a nd not the date on which th e ev ict ion app licat ion was fil ed
(2) if a pe rso n i s a small l andow ner at t he commence ment of t he A ct hi s s tatute i s
not altered b y reason for im pr ovement s in th e val ue of his land or reallotment of land 
on co mpul sOly co nso li dat ion o f holdin gs 
(3) Banja r Kad im, Banjar Jadi d a nd Gai l' Mumkin land cann ot b e tak en int o
accou nt w hil e co mputin g t he permi ssib le a rea and sur pl us area und er th e Act 
(4) T he Ba npr Q adim and Ba nj ar Jadi d lan d do not fa ll wit hin the pur view of land 
und er the Ac t
(5) The pe l1 11i ssib learea und er the su bsta ntive pal1 of Sec. 2(3) fo r a person who i s
not di splaced p erson i s s ixty ord in ary ac res
(6) Th e con cept of s tandard a cres bein g a m eas ure of area c on ve l1i ble in to
ord in ar y acres if a ny land acco rd ing to presc ribe d sca les w ith refe rence to the q uant ity
of the yie ld a nd q ualit y of So il has bee n introd uce d in th e def initi on of perm is sible 
1 In serted by P un jab AC I6 of 199 8.
2 Su bs tiluted b y Punjab AC l 1 1 of 1955 .

area to emphasise the qualitative aspect of land holding and the maximum limit of 
sixty acres is its quantative aspect 
. Ajmer Sillgh v. State of Hmyalla, 1990(1) see 227 
3. Reservation of land by small landowners.- Any small landowner .
who by virtue of an allotment made after the commencement of this Act under 
the Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950 (Act XXXI of 1950) 
,
comes to hold more than the permissible area of land, may select out of the 
entire area held by him as a landowner in the State of Punjab, 
I[Principal 
Territories in Haryana], a parcel or parcels of land not exceeding in aggregate 
the permissible area and reserve it by intimating his reservation in the 
prescribed form and manner, to be Patwari of the estate in which the land 
reserved is situate 
, or to such other authority as may be prescribed. before expir y
of six months from the date of his obtaining possession of the land so allotted :
Provided that he shall include in his reservation, to the extent of the 
permissible area, whatever land he had under self- cultivatIOn 
immediately before the commencement of this Act .
4. Fresh reservation of land due to modification of allotment.- Any 
landowner who has made lawful reservation of land under the 1950 Act, and 
whose allotment is modified or revised after the commencement of this Act, 
under the Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950 (Act XXXI o f 1950) ,
shall be entitled to make a fresh reservation before the expiry of six months 
from the date of his obtaining possession of the land so allotted 
.
Provided that in making his fresh reservation he shall include to the extent 
of the permissible area firstly the land he has under self cultivation 
and secondly such land out of his previous reservation 
, as has not 
passed out of his possession as a result of the said revision or 
modification of allotment . ,..
5. Reservation of land.- (1) Any reservation before the commencement 
of this Act , shall cease to have effect and subject to the provisions of Sections 
3 and 4 any landowner who owns land in excess of the permissible area may 
reserve out of the entire land held by him in the State of Punjab as landowner ,
any parcel or parcels not exceeding the permissible area intimating his 
selection in the prescribed form and manner to the patwari of the estate in 
which the land reserved is situate or to such other authority may be 
prescribed. 
Providing that in making this reservation he shall include his area owned 
in the following order -
(a) area held in a Co-operative Garden Colony, 
(b) area under self-cultivation at the commencement of this Act other 
than the reserved area 
,
(c) reserved area excluding the area under a jhundimar tenant or a
tenant who has been in continuous occupation for 20 years or more 
immediately before such reservation .
(d) area or share in a Co-operative Farming Society ,

The Punjab Security of Land Tenu f~ sAc t, 1953 
(e) an y other area o wned b y him ,
(f) ar ea und er a jhundimar t enant .
(2) Wher e in re spect of any land more t han one person can be classed as 
land ow ners, as i n the ca se o f per sons one of whom is a lan downer in principal 
and the ot her in d er ivati ve c apa city , the a foresaid right of re ser vation sha ll be 
ex er ci sed by t he lan dow ner who recei ves or is entitled to recei ve rent dire ctl y
fr om the ten ant in actu al in actual culti vation of the land .
(3 ) A landowner shall be entit led to intimate a reservatio n with in six 
mon ths f rom the date of commen cement of this Act , and no rese rvation so
intim ate d shall be vari ed sub se quentl y w he ther b y ac t of parties or b y
operatio n o f la w, save w ith th e co nse nt in writi ng of the ten ant affected b y
such va ri ficat ion or until such tim e as th e rig ht to e je ct such t enant ot her wise
accru es und er the provis ions of thi s Act .
1 [(4) [***] 
(5) [***] ]
2[5_A. Dec la ration sup ported b y affid avit s to be furn ished by certain 
landowners and te nant s.- Eve ry land ow ner or tenant , who own s or holds 
la nd in excess of t he p ermi ss ib le a rea and wh ere land i s situated in more t han 
one Patwar c ircle , shall furnish , with in a peri od of six month s fr om th e
co mme ncenl fnt of t he Punjab Security of La nd Ten ures (A mend men t) Ac t.
195 7, a decla ra tion supporte d by an affidavit in re spect of th e lan ds own ed or
held b y him in such form and man ner a nd to s uch authorit y as ma y be presc rib ed .
5-B . Se lec tion of per missib le area a nd co nsequences of failu re to
select .- (1) A landown er who has not exercise d his right of reservation 
und er this Act , ma y select his perm issible are a and inti mate the se lection to 
the pre scribed aut hority wit hin the period specified in Se ction 5-A and in suc h
fo rm and manner a s ma y be prescribed :
Prov id ed that a landowner who is r equired to furni sh a declaration under 
Section 5 -A s hall i ntima te his se lection along wit h that dec laratio n.
(2) If a lan down er fail s to se lect h is permissible area i n a cco rd ance with t he
provisions of sub- section (1), th e prescribed authori ty may s ubj ect to th e
pro vision s of Section 5 -C, se le ct the parce l o r tile parcel s of land wh ic h su ch
person i s entitled to retain un der the pro vis ion s of t his Act: 
Prov ided that the pr es cribed authority shall not m ake t he selection 
without givi ng the landowner conc ern ed an oppo rtunit y of b ei ng
hear d. 
Com ment s
The mai n purpo se of th e Ac t seems to be to (i) pr ov id e a ' pemli ssi bl e ar ea' of 30
standard acres to l and ow ner/tenant which h e can retain for se lf culti vation ; (ii )
pro vid e se curit y of tenure t o tenant s by reducin g their liabilit y to ejec tment as 
specif ied in S . 9; (iii) ascertain surplus area and ensure resettl ement o f e jec ted ten ants 
I Sub -c lauses (4) and (5) om itted by Pun ja b Act No . 57 of 1953 
2 Sect ion s 5A , 5B and 5C in se rted by Punj ab Act No . 46 of J 957, sect io n 3.

on those area s; ( iv) fix m axi mum r ent pa yable b y tenant s; an d (v) co nfe r rig hts o n
tenants to pre-empt and purchas e th eir t enancie s in certain circ um stan ces. Gurba x
Singh v. State of Punjab, AIR 1967 SC 502 .
1 [S-C . Penalty for failure to furnis -h declaration.- ( 1) If a l andowner or 
ten ant fails t o f urni sh th e declar ation support ed b y a n a ff id av it as req uired b y
Sec tion 5-A, the pre sc ribed author ity not b el ow th e rank of C olle ctor may. by
order direct that the whole or part of the land of such lando wner o r tenant in 
excess of ten standard acres to be specified b y such authori ty s hall b e deemed 
to be the surplus area of such landown er or tenant and shall b e utili sed th e
State Government for the purpose "mentioned in Section 10 -A.
Pro vided that no such orde r s hall be made without givin g the landown er
or te nant con ce rned an opportunit y of b ein g heard .
(2) Where a landowner or tenant who is requi red to furnis h a dec laration 
under Section 5-A fails so to do , the prescribed authorit y ma y in r es pect of 
him obtain the information required to be shown in the declaration throu gh
such agency as it may deem fit] .
2[ 6. Cer tain previou s tran sfers of land not to affect rights of tenants.- 
No tran sfer o f l and , except a bona f id e sa le or mortg age wit h po ssess IOn or a
tran sfer re sultin g fro m'inh erita nce made aft er t he 15 th August 19 47 a nd 
before the 2nd , Eebru rry, 1995 , s hall affe ct th e r ight s of t he tenant on such
land under this Act .
7. 3[***] 
4[8. Continuity of tenancies.- The continuit y of a te nan cy s hall not b e
affected b y - Jo .
(a) th e dea th o f the l andlo rd; or
Section I 1 of Punj ab Act No. 14 of 196 2, reads as follo ws: 
"Valid atio n I I. Notwit hstandin g an yth ing con tain ed in th is Act or the ru les made
thereun der or in any other law for the t ime being in force o r i n any jud gment decree or 
order o f a ny C ourt or othe r a uthor ity, -
(a ) where the surplu s a rea in r es pect o f th e land o wned by a Hin du undi vided fa mil y
re ferre d to in cl ause (a) of sec tion 19-E of t he pr inCi pal A ct . has be en de term ined un der 
that Act at a ny time before t he co mmenc eme nt of thi s Ac t by a ny auth ori ty compe tent to 
determ ine sLlc h area , wheth er by ignori ng t he partition of any s uch l and made a ft er the
commenc ement of th e pnn cip al Ac t or ot herwise, s uch d etermi na ti on sha ll be va lid and 
shall be deemed al ways to have bee n v alid and s hall n ot be q uest ioned o n the gro und th at 
th e desce ndent s of th e landow ners const it uti ng w it h him the Hi ndu u ndivided famil y we re
landow ners in th eir ow n rig ht i n r espect of the ir s hare s 111 such l and or on t he g rou nd th at
the p artit io n h ad been igno red :
(b) w here a n order under sub- section (2) of section 5-8 or sub- secti on (I) of sectio n 5- C,
in r es pect of th e s urplu s area of any p erson , has been passed b y a Re\ enue Office r
exe rci sin g the p owe rs of a Co ll ector purporting to act a s the pre scribed authorit y. s uch 
order shall be va lid and sha ll be deemed always to have bee n va li d and. shall not b e
que stion ed on th e g roun d th at it was not passed by th e pr esc rib ed auth ority .
2 Sub sti tuted by Pun jab Ac t No. 14 of 196 2, Sec tio n 3. 
3 Sect ion 7 omi tt ed by Pun jab Act No. 1 I of 1955 
4 Se ctio n 8 substit uted b y Punjab Act No . II of 1955 .

226 Th e Punjab Security of Land Tenu res Act, 1953 
(b) the death of the tenant e xcept when the tenant l eaves no mal e line al 
desce nd ants or moth er or wido w; and 
(c) a ny chan ge therein under the same landowne r and for th e purpo se o f
section s 17 and 18 of thi s Act , s uc h tenanc y shall be the la st area so 
held.] 
Comment s
Sect ion 8--Suit prima rily based on the cau se of wrongfu l dip ossess ion -- In a suit
fil ed und er Sec tio n 6 of t he Sp ec ifi c Relief A ct, a p laintiff ma y not stake a ny c laim
with r eg ard to right , tit le or i nterest what soeve r- -He has simply to prov e that h e was i n
pos sess ion and had been d ispossessed wit hin six month s from th e date t he suit was 
fi led-- Civil Cou rt has j urisdi ction to ent ertai n and tr y t he s uit . Maha Singh v. Vid ya
Devi, 1998( 3) I CC (P h. & Hr y.) 351 : 1998(2) PL R 6 05 
9. L iabilit y o f tenant to be eject ed.- 1 [( 1) Notwith standm g a nythin g
contai ned in any oth er la w f or th e t im e be in g in fo rce 2[ no land ow ner o th er 
than a lan downer w ho is a memb er of t he A rm ed Force s of th e U ni on or a
Non -Res id ent Indi an] shal l be compet ent to ejec t a te nant except when such 
tenant -
(i) is a tenant on the are a reserve d under thi s A ct or is a tena nt o f a
small landowner , [01 '] 3
(i i) fa il s to pa y rent regul arly w ithout sufficient cau se; [01'] 4
(i ii ) ~ in aITear s ofrent at the commenceme nt of thi s Act ; [or] 5
(iv) has f ailed , or fails , without suffic ient cau se. to cu ltivat e th e land 
compri sed in h is tenanc y in th e mann er or to the e xtent cu stomary In 
the l oca lit y in which th e land i s s ituate ; [0 1']6
(v) ha s use d, or u ses the land co mpri sed in hi s te nanc y in a manne r
which h as re fdered , or r end ers it unfit fo r th e purpo se of whi ch he 
hold s it ; [or] 
(vi) has s ubl et th e tenanc y or a part thereof; provid ed th at where onl y a
part of th e tenancy ha s be en sU~ let t he te nant shall be liab le to b e
ejec ted only from such part ; [or] 
(VIi) ref uses to ex ecute a Qabuli yat o r a Pata in t he fo rm pre scribe d. m
res pect of hi s tenan cy on b ein g ca ll ed upon to do so by a n Ass istant 
Collector on an app lication made to him for thi s purpo se by the 
landowner .
Ex pl ana/i oJ1 .- For the purpo ses of c lause ( iii) , a te nant shall b e dee med to
be in an'ear s of rent at the co mmencem ent of thi s Act , onl y if t he pa yment of 
arre ars is not mad e by the tenant within a p eriod of two month s f rom th e dat e
Substi tuted f or sub -sect ions ( I) and (2 ) of Sect ion 9 by Punjab Ac t No. I I of 1955 and
exi stin g s ub -section (3) ren umbered as s ub -sectio n (2).
2 Sub stituted vide Punjab Ac t 6 of 199 8
3 Added b y Punjab Act No. 32 of 1 959 , secti on 2 .
4 Section 7 omit ted b y Punjab Act II of 1955 .
5 Added b y Punjab Act No. 32 of 1959 , s ec ti on 2. 
6 A dd ed b y Punjab Act No. 32 of 1959 , s ect ion 2
7 A dde o by Pu nja b Act No. 3 2 of 1 959 , s ec ti on 2. 
8 Add ed b y Punjab Act No. 32 of 1959 . s ection 2 .

of notice of the e xe cution o f decree or or der, dir ect ing him to pay s uch ar re ar s
of rent .]
(2) Not withstanding an ythin g cont ain ed her einbe for e a t enant shall also b e
liable to be ejected from an y area whIch h e hold s In an y ca pac it y whatever in 
excess of the permis sible area :
Provided that the portion of the tenanc y f rom which such tenant can be 
ejected shall be dete rmined at hi s option onl y if the area of hi s
tenancy under the landowner concerned is i n exce ss of the area f rom 
which he can be eject ed by th e s aid lando wner :
Provided further that if the te nan t hold s land o f several l and ow ners a nd 
more than one lando wner see ks hi s e jectmen t. the r ight of ejec tm ent 
shall be exe rcised in th e o rd er in which the appli cat ion s ha ve been 
made o r s uits have been filed b y t he lando wner s co ncerned and I n
case of simultaneous application s or suits the priorit y for e ject ment 
shall commence seriall y from the smallest landowner :
Explanation .- Where a tenant holds land jointly with other tenant s onl y
hi s s ha re in the joint tenancy sha11be taken into accoun t in computing th e area 
held b y him .
Comments 
Section 9(1 )( i)-- Ev iction-- Co- shar er-- P et ition er in a dec laratory su it clai min g to
be a tenant cannot claim to be a co -shar er in ev iction pr ocee di ngs --C laim of ev icti on 
sustained b y Rev enue Authori ties -- No in te rf erence requ ired . Rugha Ram v. 
Financial Commi ssioner , Revenu e, Haryana, 2001(3) ICC (Pb. & Hr y.) (D.B.) 544 :
2001(2) PLR 53 
Section 9(l)(i)--Eviction--Pl ea of respond ent of b ein g a c o- sharer and not 
tenant--Not sustainable as he already stands declared as tenant in <mother civil suit 
against him- -Claim o f the lando wner for e viction of t enant su stained of concurr ent 
findin g of the fac t that he i s a small land ow ner. Rugha Ram v . Fina ncial 
Commissioner , Revenue, Haryana , 2001(3) 1CC (Pb. & Hry.) (D. B .) 204: 2001(2) 
PLR 53 
Te nant-- Eject men t of -- Non payme nt of rent-- W het her a s in gle defa ul t i n pay ment 
of re nt wo ul d be s ufficient to order ejectme nt--He ld. yes -- Even a single defa ult fa ll s
within the mi schi ef of Se ction 9( 1)( ii) and woul d make th e tenant l iab le fo r ejec tm ent .
Surind er Sin gh v. F inancial Commissioner , Punjab , 2001(1) 1CC (Ph . & Hry.)
(D. B.) 481 
Te nant--Ej ec tm ent of--Non payment ofrent --Held, though it i s tru e that th e law is
heavily loaded in fav our of tenant , yet it is also clear that the law ex pec ts th e tenant to 
pay regularly--A de fa ult can b e-c ondon ed onl y if suffi cient ca use is s hown and not 
oth erwi se. Surinder Singh v. Finaizcial Commi ss ion er, Punjab , 2 001 (I) 1CC (Ph. 
& Hry.) (D.B .) 481 
Sec tion s 9, 12, 1 4 an d 1 4A -- Non -payme nt of Re nt-- Evic ti on --Tena nt/Petit io ner
contendin g that t he a ppli catio n fi led by t he land ow ners for t hei r evic tion f rom the
land is not m ain ta inab le a nd d eserves reject ion beca use of th eir fa ilur e to ava il the
remedy unde r Sections 17 a nd 1 8 of P unj ab Te nancy Ac t- -Held. no meri t i n th e
contention of th e tenant s as fir stl y t he sa id p oint was nev er r aised befo re t he lea rn ed 
Sin gle Judge and sec ondl y remedy un der Sec ti ons 17 and 18 of Punj ab Tenan cy Ac t IS
no t an alternati ve remedy to seek e jec tm ent of th e Te nan t--Al so in ord er t o ava il th e
protection of th e A ct of 1953 and th e Rule s, the t enant mu st ful fill their obli gation s
under the Act i. e. to pa y rent reg ularl y other wise h em ust b e read y to face th e

co nsequ ences o f t he sa me--L earn ed S ingle Jud ge right ly refuse d to inter fere w it h th e
pur e f ind in g of fac t r eco rded by t he F inanci al Comm issioner on the iss ue of defau lt.
Gi an Chand v. Th e RC., Hr y., Chd. (Pb. & Hry.)(D .B.) 609 
Se cti ons 9 a nd l4 A-- Whether the ord er of e victi on p asse d aga inst t he
responde nt -tenant is v it iat ed and i s liab le t o be se t aside me rely because the ap pellant 
lan dl ord h ad initi ate d' proc ee dings und er Punjab Te nancy Ac t and not und er Pu njab 
Secu rit y of La nd Te nu re s Act-- Le amed Sin gle Ju dge held t hat the landlord h aving
ini ti ate d proc ee dings und er Sec ti on 77 o f the Punj ao Ten ancy Ac t and no t und er
- Secti on l 4A of the Sec urit y of Land Tenures Ac t, th e o rders p asse d b y reve nue co ur ts
in unten able --H eld, fa ilur e to pay rent i s o ne of ground o f evic tion und er S ec tion 9 of 
Punja b Sec ur ity of Land Te nur es Ac t- -Hence g round f or ev iction i s clea rl y made
out--O rder of lear ned Sin gle Jud ge is un sust ain abl e--Evi ction ord er pas sed b y reve nu e
court is li able to be restore d. Faquira v. Kh em C hand , 19 99( 2) ICC ( Pb . &
Hry.)(D .B) 585 
I [9- A.- No t enan t l iabl e to ejec tment under clause ( i) of s ub- se ction (1) 
of t he sect ion n ex t p rece din g s hall be di sposs essed of hi s tena ncy unl ess he is
acc ommodated on a surp lu s a rea in accor dance wit h th e prov ision s o f secti on
I O-A or o th erwise on so me ot her l and by th e State Gove rnm ent.
Prov ide d that if th e tenan t conce rned i s the te nant of a smal l l an downer. 
he shall b e a ll owed to re ta in po ss ess ion o f his tena ncy to th e e xtent of 
five standard a cres i nclu di ng a ny other land which h e may ho ld as
~ te nant o r ow ner , unt il h e is so acc ommodat ed on a surpl us a rea or 
oth erwise ;
Pr ov id ed furth er, that if a tenanc y comme nces a fter the commencement of 
thi s Act , and the ten ant is al so a n ow ner and i s relate d to his landlord
in th e mann er p rescrIbed , he shall no t be entitl ed to th e benefi t o f th is
sec tion :]
2[Punjab Amendment] 
3[Pr ov ided furthe r th at the tena nt o f the land ow ner wh o i s a memb er of
the A rm ed Forces of t he U ni on 4[or a No n-R esident Indian] shall al so
not be enti tl ed t o t he benef it of thi s sect ion .]
Comm ent s
Sec tion 9- A--Petitioners holdin g more th an 5 s tand ard ac res in Har ya na and
ow ning land in Pu njab a lso canno t b e telm ed as poor tenan ts lacking o ther sour ce of 
livelih ood-- No equit y in their f av our-- No inter fe rence wi th the co nculT ent fi ndin gs o f
the C Oll! 1S below. Rugha Ram v. Finan cial Comm iss ioner, Rev enue, Har yana .
2001( 3) ICC ( Pb. & Hr y.) (HB. ) 544: 2001(2) PLR 5 3
1 New sect ion 9-A add ed by Pun jab Ac t 1I of 195 5.
2 Ad ded by Punj ab Act No. 28 of 1969 ,section 2.
3 Added by Pun jab Act No. 28 of 1969 .sectio n 2. 
4 Insert ed by Pun ja b Act 6 of 199 8.

The Punjab Security of La nd TenuresAct, 1953 22 9
1 [9-B. One tim e concess ion. - The conc ess ion gi ven unde r s ect ions 9 and
9-A to th e land -owner who is a Non-Re sident Indian shall b e on e tim e
concession and sha ll be avail able only in r es pe ct of the l and a cquir ed or held
by him b efore the commen ce ment o f t he Punj ab Sec uri ty of La nd Te nu res 
(Amendment) Ac t, 199 7. ]
[For Ha rya na only] 
2[Sec tion 9 B.- Benefit to the member s of An ned Fo rces - A pe rson w ho
is a tenant of a landowne r who -
(a) that a member of t he Armed Force of th e U nion o f Indi a a nd stand s
retired or disch arg ed from the Armed For ces; or 
(b) i s a widow or a minor child o fa memb er o f th e A ml ed Fo rce s. \\ho 
died whi le-in -serv ice , shall n ot be e ntitled to the b ene fit un dc r th e
proviso to section 9-A .
Provi ded that t he application for ejectment is m ade within p er iod of one 
year fro m the date of the retireme nt. di scha rge or d eat h or f rom the 
date of the comm enc ement of the Punpb S ec ur ity of La nd Ten ur es
(Harya na A mendm ent Ord ina nce 198 4) whichever i s lateL] 
10 . Res tora tion of tenant ejected after the 15th of August, 1947. - (1 )
Wh er e a tenant has been ejected from any land in e xce ss of the p crmi ssibl e
arca on gr ounds o th er t han t hose mention ed in sec tion 9 , befo re t he
comme nceme nt of t his Act , and after t he 15th Au gust 1 947 a nd suc h l and is
under self-cu ltivatio n, such tenant shal l 3[subject to the pr ovi sion s of thI s Act
be entitl ed to be re stored to his tenanc y in th e mann er prescr ibe d on th e same
term s an d cond it ion s on which it was held b y him at the time o f thi s
ejectm ent , on an a pplicatio n m ade to an A ss istant Collect or o f me F Irst G rade 
having Juri sdiction , within on e y ear from th e dat e of intim ati on of rcse rvatlon 
aft er th e co mm encemen t of thi s Ac t. or , if no such re se rvati on is made \Vl thll 1
th e period specified in s ub -section (3) of section 5. two year s ii 'o m the date or 
com mencement of t hi s Act :
Provid ed th at if mor e ten ant s than one have been ej ec ted fro m the same
te nancy , the rig ht of ap plicat ion for res tora tion sha ll b e exercisab le in 
serial order of priorit y commencin g f rom th e ten ant fir st eje ct ed and 
to th e exte nt in eac h case of the permi ssibl e area . afte r takll1g i nt o
acco unt an y other ten anc y, or la nd which t he e jected ten ant hol ds a t
th e tim e of hi s applic ation for re storation.] 
(2) O n rece ip t of a n ap plication the Ass istant Col lector shall . aft er gIvIn g to
th e partie s noti ce in writin g and a rea sonabl e oppOliunit y to be hea rd. 
det ermine the di spute summaril y a nd shall kee p a memor andum of eVl dencc 
and a gi st of hi s fina l order with bri ef r eas on s th erefor .
(3) When an appli cation ha s bee n m ade. a ny proceedings in re lation to t hc
same matter pendin g in any oth er cou rt o r b ef or e a ny ot her author it y s ha ll bc 
1 In sert ed b y Punjab Ac t 0.6 o f 199 8
2 A dde d by Har yana Ac t 2 4 of 1984
3 Sub stilut ed b y Punjab A ct 57 of 195 3.

stayed on receipt o f inforn1at io n b y th at court or authorit y from such A ss ista nt
Co ll ector o f the fact of havin g rec eived the application and a lso such 
proceedings in a court or be fo re an y aut horit y shall lapse when the di spute ha s
been det ermined b y th e Ass istan t Co lle ctor acting under t his Act .
(4) A landlo rd or any o th er person in actua l poss ess ion of l and at t he time 
of re storati on shal l b e entitled to such compe nsation a s may be determined by
the A ss istan t C oll ec to r. from the tenant in te nded to b e re stored , fo r an y lo ss 
suffered in c onsi der at ion of a nythi ng do ne prior to th e date of hi s fi rst
receiving i nformation of th e applicat ion:
Pr ov id ed t hat n o ejec ted tenant shall be rest ored t o hi s ten anc y as 
pro vided h ere in befo re u nl ess he has paid com pensa ti on as determined 
by the Ass istant Coll ect or Lo the land owner or o th er p er son, ifany , as 
the case ma y be .
1[ 10 -A. Su rplu s area for resettlement of eject ed t enant s.- (a) T he State 
Government or an y offic er empow ered by it in thi s behalf , shall be competent 
to uti lise an y s urpl us area for the re se tt leme nt of tenant s ejec ted, o r to be 
eject ed, under c laus e (i) of sub-sect ion (I) of Sect ion 9 .
(b) Notw ithsta ndin g an ythll1 g c ont aine d i n any other law for t he time be ing 
inforc e 2[a nd save in th e ca se ofland a cquire d by the S tate Gove rnment under 
an y la w [pr the time being in force or b y an h eir by inh erit ance] no tra nsfe r or
oth er d isposition of land which i s co mpr ise d in surplu s area , at the 
comm ence ment o f thi s A ct , s hall affect t he uti li sati on the reo f in clause ( a) .
Expl anati on.- Such utili sation of any s urplus area w ill n ot aff ect t he r ight
of th e landown er to receive rent from the t enant so set tled .]
3[(c) For th e purpo se o f det erminin g th e s ur plu s ar ea of any per son under 
this sectIon an y judgment , decr ee, or order o f a cou rt or oth er authorit y. 
obtain ed aft er the c ommen ce ment of thi s Ac t and having the effect of 
dimini shin g th e area o f s uch p erso n which could have b ee n dec lare d as his
surplu s ar ea s hall b e igno re d.]
Comme nt s
Sec ti on I O-A and 19 -8- - The gifts made by la ndowners w ho excee ded th eir 
perm issible area ha ving come b y add itional l ands b y inh eri ta nc e a re to be ignor ed or 
taken into accou nt when co mputin g th e surp lu s a rea i n their hands , havin g reg ard t o S. 
19-8 r ead with S. IO -A. S. IO-A do es not m ili tat e against thi s mand ate ofS . 19-8 . S. 
IO-A(a) is wide in it s terms and en compasse s all surp lu s area , however . ob tain ed.
Under S . IO- A( b) , land s acqu ired b y an heir b y inheritanc e are sa ved in so far a s
dispositions of such lands ar e con ce med. Althoug h in th e hands of th e pr opos itu s, it is
surplus l and. if am on g th e hei rs it is n ot, th en th ei r transfer s will n ot be aff ec ted b y the 
inte rdi ct of S . IO-A (a). There i s no c on fli ct be tween S . IO- A and S. 19-B . State of 
Haryan a v . Sa mpur an Singh, AIR 1975 SC 1952. 
Scct ion IO-A added b y Pu njab Aet II of 1955 an d sha ll a lways b e de emed t o havc becn 
in scrte d w ith e ff ect from 15.4. 1953 , vide section 10 of Pun jab Act No. 14 o f 1 %2. 
2 . In serted by Pu nj ab Act 0.4 of 1959 , section 2. 
3 C lause (c) added w ith effect from the 15 .4. 1953 Vide by Pun jab A ct No. 14 of 1%2 

Sec tion lO -A (c), 18--0 th er a uthority --Mean ing of --In cludes officer und er
Sec tion 18. Per maj ority -The o bj ect of S . 10- A(c) c ann ot be f ul fill ed unl ess the 
wid est mea nin g we re g ive n to th e express ion "cou rt or ot her a utho ri ty" . "Other 
aut hor ity" is very other a uth ority w ith in or without the Act . The other a uthoriti es in S .
10 -A(c) i nclu de officer u nder S . 18 . The pla in meaning ofS . 10 -A( c) is that an y ord er
by any au th or it y whic h shrinks the surplus area of the landlord is in valid to th e ex tent 
laid down in t he cla use. Sta te of Punjab v. Am ar Sing h, AIR 19 74 SC 994. 
S.1 O-A( b)-- "Transfer" -- [Per majority, Sarkaria , 1. Contra :] --T he expres sion 
"transfe r" is wi de e nough to cover n'ansfers by operation of law un less expr ess ly
exc luded . Special exclusions to save transfer s by way of inheritan ce and compul so ry
land acquisition by State have been made which would ha ve been superero gator y had 
involuntary tra nsfers automatica l1y gone o ut of the pale of S. 1O-A(b) . Hen ce S. 
1O-A(b) wou ld apply to transfer by operation of law under S . 18. Sta te of Pu njab v. 
Ama r Si ngh, AIR 1974 SC 994 .
S. 1O-A( b)-- Consent orde r-- Sco pe-- (Per majo rity): -- Where a compromi se goes 
agai nst a pu bl ic policy , prescri ption of a statu te or a mandatory dire ction t o th e Co ul1 
to decide on i ts own ce rt ai n foundationa l facts a ra zi cannot operate to de feat th e
requi reme nt so s pecified or absolve t he co ur t f rom the d uty. The res ultant order will 
be ineffective. A ny aut hority , li ke the Co llector enjoined to apply S. 10 -A(b ) and (c) 
may d ecline to ac t on a compromis e which has ripened i nto an order if the agreem ent 
benveen th e parties dispose s of propert y in violation of a statutor y mandat e. Sm ctl y
speaking, col lusive ra zis cannot affect the State which ha s the right t o utilt se s urplu s
lands for resett ling te nant s. The publi c policy of S . 10-A cannot b e outwi tted b y
co nsent or ders calculated to de fe at th e pr ov ision and without the statutor y a uthorit y
char ge d with th e enquir y bein g sa tisfie d ab out the bo na fides of and elig ibility for th e
pur chase . Stat e of Punja b v . Amar Si ngh , AIR 19 74 SC 994. 
I [10-B . Saving by inheritance not t o appl y a ft er util isa ti on of surplu s
area.- Where s uccess ion has ope ned afte r the surp lus atea or any part 
thereof ha s bee n utili se d under c lause (a) of sectio n lO -A, the savin g s pecified 
in favour of any heir by in her ita nce , under c lause ( b) of t hat section shall not 
app ly in respect of t he area so ut ilise d.] 
. Comm ent s
Sections 10-A and 10-B--Pro cess of utilisation o f Surp lus area ""hen
complete -- Held : While al10tment ofland i s an initia l stage in the proc ess of utili sa ti on
of t he "s urplu s a rea" . it does not co mplete that process as it IS necessar y for th e
al lottee to o bt ain a certificate of a l1ot ment. take possession of the land within th e
period specified for t he purpose, a nd to e xec ut e "qua buliyat" or "patta" in resp ect 
thereof as required b y Ru les 20 -A to 20 -C of t he Ru les of 1956. S. 1O -A(b) ha s the 
effec t of savi ng t he land , com pr ised in t he "s urpl us area". if it has been a cquir ed b y a n
heir by inheritan ce. So whe n the process of uti li sa tion of t he deceased 's " surplus area "
ha d n ot been compl eted b y the time his h ei rs by inhe ri ta nce made the application 
under S. 10 -A(b) an d S. 10- B to the author ities concemed, it was permissible for th ose 
authorities to re-exa mi ne t he qu estion whether there wa s any "surplus ar ea" at all 
after the ho ldi ng ha d been i nh erited by his n vo heirs in equal shares so as to r educ e th e
area of t he ho lding of e ach o ne of them below t he permissibl e a rea . Fina nciaL 
Commi ss ion er v. Har yana St ate, KaLa Devi, AIR 198 0 SC 309.

11 . Tenant 's ri ght to water.- Sa ve in propo rti on to a re du ction in th e
te nanc y, if any, a l and ow ner shall n ot be competent t o cU1 1ailor t ermin ate the
suppl y of canal OJ ; use of well wate r en joye d by a tenant imm ediat ely before 
th e comm ence ment o f t hi s Act , a nd a br eac h of thi s prov is ion shall con stitute 
a co gni zable o ffenc e puni shabl e wi th impri so nment which ma y extend to six 
month s and shall be tria bl e by a co urt no t bel ow th e rank of a S econd Class
Magi stra te .
12. Amount of maximum rent.- (I) Notw ith standin g an ything contained 
in the Punj ab Te nancy A ct, 188 7 (Act XV I of 1887) , or in any agreement or 
usage or an y decr ee or or der of a co urt , th e ma ximum re nt pa yable b y a tenant 
fo r any land held b y him a s s uch shall not e xce ed one -thir d of t he crop of such 
land or th e v alue ther eof as det ermine d in th e pr es cribed mann er, a nd where
the cu stomar y rent is les s t han one- thir d. the maximum rent s hall be such 
cu stomar y rent .
(2 ) In co mputin g th e ma ximum r ent payab le by a tenant , such portion of t he
rent , if a ny, as repre sent s the co ns id erat ion for s ervice s or faci lit ies prov ide d
by the l ando wner In relati on to t he la nd s hall n ot b e taken into a ccount .
13. Assessme nt of charges for serv ices or facilities provided by th e
landown er.- Unle ss th e charges payable for serv ices or facilitie s proviaed 
by land O\Jner in r elation to the land h av e been specifical ly provided for in an 
ag reem ent betwe en the partie s, such charge s s hall b e det ermin ed b y th e
Ass istant Coll ec tor 

Excerpt shown. Open the full act in Lexace.

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