‘Tell if you are serious’: Allahabad High Court grills UP over agri land rights of unmarried, married, widowed daughters

“Another affidavit be filed by none other than additional chief secretary/ principal secretary (revenue) specifically indicating as to whether the government is serious about the reference to the sub committee of the Cabinet about the rights relating to unmarried, married and widowed daughters in agricultural land”, the court observed.

The court added that the affidavit is woefully lacking in necessary averments on the question of constitutionality and legality of the provisions under challenge.

Is government serious?

• In the affidevit, only legislative history of the provision has been given.
• Apart from it, it has been stated that a sub committee of the cabinet was instituted in 2018 under the chairmanship of the parliamentary affairs minister to provide equal rights to unmarried, married and widowed daughters in agricultural land under the UP.
• Revenue Code, 2006, as amended from time to time. As no meeting of the sub-committee was held, a decision could not be taken in the matter.
• It has been further stated that the process of reconstituting the sub-committee of the cabinet is currently underway.
• Poulomi Pavini Shukla informed that after the Constitution of this committee, some minor amendments were made in the relevant provisions, incorporating transgenders as successors to such agricultural holding, but no amendment has been inserted with regard to discrimination against women in the matter of successions to agricultural holdings.
• Another affidavit be filed by none else than the additional chief secretary/ principal secretary (revenue) specifically indicating as to whether the Government is serious about the reference to the sub-committee of the Cabinet about the rights relating to unmarried, married and widowed daughters in agricultural land.
• If so, how long will it take to reconstitute the committee and approximately how long the committee will take to submit its report.
• This should be specifically spelled out in the affidavit. We grant two weeks and no more time for filing of the said affidavit.
• The Additional Chief Secretary/ Principal Secretary (Revenue) would be better advised to look into the matter herself as we will not grant any further opportunity.

Background

• The petitioners Siddharth Shukla, Puneeta, Amita Maurya, Seema Verma and Poulomi Shukla and others had filed a PIL  challenging the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code, 2006, alleging that it was discriminatory towards women in the matter of succession of agricultural holdings.
• These petitions were filed between 2019, 2021 and 2025, and the state had also filed an affidavit in these proceedings.