Maharashtra Exempts Stamp Duty on Enemy Property Purchases
Nagpur: The Maharashtra cabinet has taken a significant step by clearing a proposal to exempt the purchase of Enemy Property from stamp duty. This decision relates to landed assets of individuals who left India during wars with Pakistan or China.
The assets are governed by the Enemy Property Act, 1968. Maharashtra has 428 such properties, including six in Nagpur. The move is expected to encourage buyers to acquire these properties, which are held by the Custodian of Enemy Property in India.
There is an office of the assistant custodian in Mumbai, which oversees these properties. They are auctioned from time to time by the custodian's office. Due to poor response to auction calls, the government has decided to exempt the purchase of such properties from stamp duty as an incentive.
The six properties in Nagpur include one in Ganjakhet, three in Borgaon village, and one each in Ganjipeth and Tulsibagh. These properties are associated with Muslim families who left for Pakistan. During 1962, some Chinese-origin settlers in Kolkata also left for China. However, in Nagpur, the list of original property owners includes a Hindu. A person named Shobraj Vadhumal left India, leaving behind a 250 sqft plot in Ganjipeth–Bhaldarpura.
Coincidentally, the property shows in records as occupied by a Muslim individual. The properties in Borgaon include three farmland parcels spread over 50 lakh sqft. They originally belonged to Zubaida Khatoon, Mohammed Jahiruddin, and Mohammed Qaumurddin. The other owners include Abdul Sattar, who had a property in Ganjakhet, Itwari Mohammed Yusuf, and Gaffar Ali.
Of the total 428 enemy properties in Maharashtra, there are 177 properties in suburban Mumbai, the highest in the state, followed by 83 in Thane, 62 in Mumbai city, 77 in Palghar, 4 in Pune, 11 in Ratnagiri, and 1 in Sindhudurg.
Last year, the state cabinet notified an amnesty scheme to allow freehold status to land held by refugees from the Sindh province of Pakistan. Under this scheme, landholders could obtain rights by paying certain charges.
