Sold to buyer of another faith despite objections, Surat woman’s property sealed under Disturbed Areas Act

According to details received from sources at the District Collectorate’s revenue department, a few weeks ago, a woman staying in a residential society in Salabatpura had sold her property to another woman. The buyer, who is also a resident of Salabatpura, had even received the token amount from the seller.

However, when the residents of the society where the property is situated learnt about the deal, they raised an objection on the grounds of the buyer’s religion, said sources. The property owner, though, stuck to her decision and accepted the final property sale deal amount. She then began the process of getting land sale deed documents made.

As the area falls under the Disturbed Areas Act, the woman filed an application with the authorities for approval.

Under the Disturbed Areas Act, statements from local residents are taken by officials and police who make on-the-spot visits. During one such visit, the local residents objected to the sale before the Mamlatdar and the police. Following this, the City Prant official, Neha Savani, rejected the woman’s application for approval.

However, despite this, the owner handed over the possession of the property to the buyer. Following this, the society residents submitted an application to the Surat city Prant office, expressing their objection to the deal. They stated that the seller’s actions violated the norms of the Disturbed Areas Act’s sections 5a and b.

City Prant officer Savani then directed Katargam Mamlatdar to seal the property. Earlier this week, the Mamlatdar and his team, accompanied by Salabatpura police, reached the property and sealed it off.

Talking to The Indian Express, Prant officer Sawani said, “The Mamlatdar had sealed off the property as the seller had violated the sections of Disturbed Areas Act, and handed the property to the buyer. We have checked and found out that no sale deed documents were prepared by the owner.”

The owner and the buyer could not be contacted for comment.

The 1991 Gujarat Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provision for Protection of Tenants from Premises in Disturbed Areas Act empowers the administration to declare parts of the territorial jurisdiction as “disturbed” in the context of communal clashes, prohibiting the direct sale of property between people of different faiths unless it is cleared by the Collector’s office, who has to certify that the transaction involves free consent.

As part of the process, the administration interacts with neighbours to make sure that there is no coercion or threat involved in the sale.