Jamabandi is an essential document of revenue department. It is also known as jamabandi char sala means is written after a gap of four years from the date first jamabandi was prepared. It contains mainly twelve columns starting from khewat number and ends with kind of mutation then after remarks column. Jamabandi is attached with the pedigree table of land holders in a village then after khata war and number war. In a khewat all the land holding of a person is mentioned in one khewat or more than one. Shamilat then after state land and lastly aabadi deh many survey numbers are mentioned lastly in this essential document. Actually at the time of settlement Record of Rights was prepared that was also a jamabandi. Every one treats it a fool proof document. There after many land laws were introduced and many changes took place and these changes were incorporated in the jamabandies by mutations. These laws are many among them few are LB6 and S432 and especially section 4 and section 8 of agrarian reforms act. These two acts were very useful to the poor tenants who were not having resources. Prior to the commencement of this act jamabandi of 1967-68 we’re written in each estate of erstwhile state and in it these tenants were recorded as protected tenants and this law was important for these tenants but the act further stressed that those persons who were as recorded tenants in kharief 1971 are also entitled as expected Malikan.
When this act came into existance sale deeds were stopped and mutations through section 4 were incorporated in records. At that time it was essential that like in sale deed titma was necessary but that was not done. For example a survey number was measuring 10 kanals and person A was it’s owner and person B was the recorded tenant and by law he was entitled to get five kanals of land as expected owner. No doubt he was given the land and incorporated as tenant in records by a mutation section 4 but titma meaning map was not prepared and this arose many questions. Today many litigations are in courts but honourable courts are not able to decide because revenue authorities are not in a position to demarcate the land because some where land is less or vice versa and some where there is encroachment. There after many jamabandies were prepared but maximum among them were not authenticated and now recently written and digitalized jamabandies are not as authenticated as the jamabandi of 1967_1968.Revenue department still relays on this essential document in this digital era. Kudoos to the patwaries and girdawares and attesting officers of that time, Now a days these officials of this department should learn a lesson from it and officers in hierarchy of the department should support these officials.
(The writer is incharge District Record Room Anantnag. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are author’s own and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
[email protected]
