Roll back the mass inclusion of private properties under Section 22A

Rollback 22A is a statewide campaign by Centre for Liberty demanding the complete rollback of the Andhra Pradesh government’s mass inclusion of private properties in the prohibited-properties list under Section 22A of the Registration Act.

Lakhs of landowners have been affected by these restrictions. Properties have been placed on the prohibited list without prior notice to their owners, disclosure of evidence, an opportunity to be heard, or a reasoned decision. In many cases, citizens discover that their property has been restricted only when they attempt to sell, mortgage, gift, partition, inherit, or register it.

A government database entry can effectively prevent an owner from exercising basic rights over their property. Such a serious restriction cannot be imposed through a mass administrative exercise without following due process

Our demand

Centre for Liberty demands that the Government of Andhra Pradesh:

  • Completely roll back the mass inclusion of private properties in the Section 22A prohibited-properties list.
  • Restore the affected properties to their status before the mass inclusion exercise.
  • Remove restrictions imposed without notice, evidence, a hearing, and a reasoned order.
  • Conduct any future review of individual properties only through a lawful and transparent process.
  • Place the burden on the government to establish its claim over a property with verifiable records and evidence.
  • Protect landowners from being forced into years of administrative proceedings and litigation to correct government-created errors.

The government may take action against a specific property when it has credible evidence that the land belongs to the government or falls within a legally protected category. However, each such action must be taken individually and only after the affected owner receives notice, access to the evidence, an opportunity to respond, and a written decision.

The government should not restrict lakhs of properties first and then require every citizen to prove that their property was included by mistake.

Why a complete rollback is necessary

The scale of the problem makes case-by-case correction inadequate. Asking each affected landowner to approach officials, submit repeated applications, obtain political recommendations, or pursue litigation shifts the consequences of an unlawful administrative action onto ordinary citizens.

When restrictions have been imposed collectively without due process, the appropriate remedy is a collective rollback.

Following the rollback, the government may examine properties individually wherever it has a legitimate and documented claim. This approach protects genuine government and legally protected land while respecting the constitutional and legal rights of private landowners.

How the campaign works

Through Rollback 22A and the Aasthi Hakkula Kendram, or Property Rights Centre, Centre for Liberty:

  • Documents cases of affected landowners across Andhra Pradesh.
  • Collects information on prohibited survey numbers and the difficulties faced by property owners.
  • Helps citizens organize title deeds, revenue records, registration documents, refusal memos, notices, and other evidence.
  • Publishes relevant government orders, court decisions, circulars, representations, and case studies.
  • Builds a statewide network of affected citizens, volunteers, legal professionals, and district coordinators.
  • Makes representations to the government and advocates for a statewide policy remedy.
  • Creates public and media awareness about the scale of the problem and its effect on property rights.

Our position

The State must protect genuine public land. It must also protect genuine private property.

No citizen should lose the ability to sell, mortgage, transfer, inherit, develop, or otherwise lawfully use their property because of a mass government classification imposed without due process.

Rollback first. Verify individual claims later through notice, evidence, a hearing, and a reasoned decision.

For more details visit https://22a.in

 

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