Patwaris aren’t allowed to operate in cities anymore

The Supreme Court banned on Thursday the operation of patwaris (land agents who keeps ownership records) in cities.

The top court closed a suo motu case relating to the operation of patwaris and tehsildars (tehsil level agents).

It has also banned the verbal transfer of land. All land will now be transferred according to the Transfer of Land Act and Registration Act. Patwaris will be limited to land record holders.

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Chief Justice Saqib Nisar said the rest of the world has reached the moon but here the government still isn’t fulfilling its responsibilities.

In Punjab verbal land transfers still exist and patwaris are roaming around with the registers, he observed. Now that verbal land transfers aren’t an option anymore, these money grabbers will die out by themselves, he said.

When the petitioner’s lawyer raised the issue of land having multiple sale deeds, Justice Ijazul Ahsan asked why landowners are patronising patwaris in the first place. The records are available to the public, he observed.

Article source: https://www.samaa.tv/news/2019/01/patwaris-arent-allowed-to-operate-in-cities-anymore/