RAWALPINDI:
The government has formally issued a gazette notification introducing new laws aimed at ending years-long delays in cases related to property division and ancestral inheritance. Certified copies of the new legislation and SOPs have been distributed to district and session judges, all revenue department officials, commissioners, deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners (revenue), patwar circles and tehsildars to ensure effective implementation.
As per the new notification, hearings in property partition cases will now be held electronically instead of traditional paper filings. Litigants will be able to access details of their hearings online from home.
The deadline for deciding partition cases has been reduced from 180 days to 60 days. If a revenue officer does not decide a case within 60 days, it will be automatically transferred to the assistant commissioner. Throughout Punjab, legal heirs will also be able to mutually divide inherited assets through a simplified process.
To ensure prompt resolution of disputes, cases may be referred to a mediation committee. The deadline for filing an appeal has been set at 30 days and appeal decisions must also be made within 30 days. Factors causing procedural delays have been eliminated and no appeal against interim orders will be entertained.
The government has implemented these changes through amendments to the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1967.
Commenting on the new law, District Bar Association President Tariq Mahmood Sajid Awan said significant results will depend on effective implementation. He noted that although the previous law required decisions within 180 days, cases often dragged on for up to 10 years. While the deadline has now been reduced, its practical impact remains to be seen.
Currently, nearly a million cases related to ancestral land and property disputes are pending across Punjab in courts, competent authorities and revenue boards, many of them pending for between one and five years. He urged the government to issue immediate orders to resolve pending cases within 40 days, warning that if old cases continue to persist, new ones may not be addressed for three to four years.
