Rajasthan Passes Disturbed Areas Bill

• Rajasthan Assembly passes Disturbed Areas Bill after heated debate
• District collectors empowered to declare areas “disturbed” for three years
• Property sales and tenant evictions to require government approval
• Opposition calls law divisive and a copy of Gujarat’s model

GG News Bureau
Jaipur, 7th March: The Rajasthan Assembly on Wednesday passed the Rajasthan Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provision for Protection of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in Disturbed Areas Bill, 2026, commonly known as the Disturbed Areas Bill, after a heated debate in the House.

The Bill was approved by a voice vote following nearly five hours of discussion involving around 30 members.

With the passage of the legislation, Rajasthan becomes the second state after Gujarat to implement a law regulating property transfers in communally sensitive areas.

The primary objective of the Bill is to prevent distress sales of property and forced migration in localities experiencing communal tension or demographic imbalance.

Under the provisions of the law, the district collector can declare a locality as a “disturbed area” for up to three years based on factors such as incidents of rioting, threats to public order, or attempts by groups to create demographic imbalance through improper clustering.

Once an area is declared disturbed, the sale or transfer of immovable property and eviction of tenants will require approval from a designated government authority.

Any transaction carried out without such approval can be declared null and void under the law.

The Bill also prescribes a minimum prison sentence of three years, extendable up to five years, for individuals found guilty of coercing property sales or forcibly evicting tenants in violation of the provisions.

Defending the legislation, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Jogaram Patel said the law aims to ensure social stability and prevent forced displacement.

“Very often, population imbalance and communal unrest force residents into distress sales of their properties or cause them to leave rented accommodations in a hurry. This Bill will prevent that and put an end to forced migration,” Patel said.

Home Minister Jawahar Singh Bedam said the law would protect residents who were allegedly forced to leave their homes due to communal tensions.

“There are homes and temples lying locked because of distress migration. This Bill will protect the rights of those people,” he said.

However, the Bill drew strong opposition from the Congress party, which termed it a divisive measure.

Rajasthan Congress President Govind Singh Dotasara alleged that the legislation was a “copy-paste of the Gujarat model” and could deepen communal divisions in the state.

He argued that declaring areas as “disturbed” could stigmatise neighbourhoods and damage social harmony.

“A Rent Control Act already exists in Rajasthan. What is the need for this Bill? It will destroy the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb of our state,” Dotasara said during the debate.

During the heated discussion, a Congress MLA from Pilani even referred to the BJP as the “Bhartiya Danga Party”.

Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who was not present in the Assembly, also criticised the legislation on social media, calling it a divisive law aimed at diverting attention from governance failures.