Maharashtra Orders Inquiry into Church and Missionary Land Transfers

Mumbai, July 9, 2026: The Maharashtra government has announced a statewide inquiry into land held by churches and Christian missionary institutions that it alleges may have been transferred under "suspicious circumstances" after Independence.

State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule made the announcement in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on July 8 while responding to a calling attention motion moved by Devyani Pharande.

Bawankule said the government would constitute a high-level committee, headed by the divisional commissioner, to conduct a comprehensive inquiry and submit its report within three months. The committee will include officials from the Settlement Commissioner's office, the Inspector General of Registration (IGR), the police and other government departments.

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The minister said the inquiry would also seek to resolve the long-pending dispute involving the Nashik Diocesan Trust Association Ltd., a case that the government said has affected nearly 5,000 families in Nashik.

According to Pharande, several parcels of land originally granted during the British period for educational, healthcare and charitable institutions run by Christian organisations were allegedly transferred to private entities after the death of the original trustees through manipulation of land records. She further alleged that residents had been compelled to pay substantial amounts to obtain no-objection certificates (NOCs) from a private company for construction and property transactions. She also claimed that land records dating to the pre-1932 period had disappeared from district archives.

Bawankule said that although the matter is currently before the Bombay High Court, there is no legal impediment preventing the government from conducting an administrative inquiry to protect the interests of citizens.

The committee has been tasked with examining records maintained by the Settlement Commissioner's office and investigating church and missionary land holdings in Nashik, Nandgaon, Aurangabad and other parts of Maharashtra. It will also assess whether land transactions that allegedly departed from their original charitable or public purposes can be reviewed under the law and whether any such properties could be restored to government ownership.

The minister added that the functioning of the private company named in the allegations would be investigated by the police and the office of the Charity Commissioner. The state government also plans to appoint a special counsel to represent its interests in the ongoing proceedings before the Bombay High Court.

The announcement is expected to draw close attention from Church institutions across Maharashtra, many of which administer schools, hospitals and charitable organisations on lands granted during the colonial period. Church authorities have not yet issued an official response to the government's decision.

Courtesy The Times of India

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