Continuing ENGLISH VERSION – PART 2 right away.Who Owns the Land Left Behind?A Legal, Historical, and Human Analysis of Property Rights After Migration to Pakistan or BangladeshPART 2: Laws, Courts, and the Hard Line of the State11. The Legal Backbone: Laws That Decided OwnershipThe fate of properties left behind by migrants was not decided emotionally or politically—it was decided through law. Several statutes formed the backbone
Continuing ENGLISH VERSION – PART 2 right away. Who Owns the Land Left Behind? A Legal, Historical, and Human Analysis of Property Rights After Migration to Pakistan or Bangladesh PART 2: Laws, Courts, and the Hard Line of the State 11. The Legal Backbone: Laws That Decided Ownership The fate of properties left behind by migrants was not decided emotionally or politically—it was decided through law. Several statutes formed the backbone of India’s position. 11.1 The Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950 This Act became the most decisive law on the issue. Its key principles: All evacuee properties vested in the Custodian The evacuee lost all management and ownership rights Courts could not interfere casually Possession by others did not defeat government title In simple words: Once declared evacuee property, the land no longer belonged to the migrant—period. 11.2 Displaced Persons (Compensation and Rehabilitation) Act, 1954 This law had a different purpose: To rehabili...