The Madhya Pradesh government, under the Union government's computerisation of land records scheme, digitised land records in over 55,000 villages between 1999 and 2000. Later, two centrally sponsored schemes of Computerization of Land Records (CLR) and Strengthening of Revenue Administration and Updating of Land Records (SRA & ULR) were merged to form the National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP).
Social workers and state officials in Madhya Pradesh argued that wrongful transfers of land ownership during digitisation have affected mostly tribal and Dalit families. In Kesli tehsil of Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh, the lands of the actual owners were allegedly registered in the names of others during the digitisation of land records without the orders of the Presiding Officer (Tehsildar). This area is located 65 kilometres away from the Sagar district headquarters.
According to a report by Down to Earth (DTE), official documents in Kesli village mention the transfer of 126.56 acres to 30 people during digitisation. Of these, 10 people’s records were corrected; 20 still had errors. According to another report from 2018, Shailendra Singh, the Patwari in Kesli Tehsil, stated that the predecessors had registered improper names in the records without the orders of the Presiding Officer (Tehsildar). This report flagged the wrong details added to the land records of 23 people (mostly Adivasis and Dalits) in a total of 33.21 hectares.
Shailendra told DTE, "These cases are of fraud and dishonesty under Section 420 (Indian Penal Code). The Collector's order led to action, and 'probably’ 16 records were rectified."
Land affairs expert Dhaniram Gupta said that a Right to Information (RTI) application had uncovered other instances of land conversion. Among the documents obtained by Gupta is a revenue order issued by the court of the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Sagar district's Land and Revenue Department in November 2019. According to the order, the Kesli Tehsildar submitted an inquiry report during a public hearing concerning allegations of tampering with land records. The report stated that the alleged irregularities occurred with the knowledge of officials and employees responsible for maintaining the land records.
Representatives from five villages participated in the hearing, and at least 17 complainants from across the district raised concerns regarding the matter. According to DTE, Gupta claimed that on the request of these 17 people, the then Sagar Collector, Preeti Maithil, gathered the names of eligible people who registered in 2019. However, 100 percent of the same land was under the illegal possession of other individuals. Mittu Ahirwar, a resident of village Idalpur, confirming this, said that his name was registered on the 0.81 ha land, but the possession is still with another resident, Ramnath. ‘’When we ask him for land, he threatens, 'We will cut off his arms and legs.’
At the same time, many people struggled to get the land registered in their names. One of which is also the Veersing Gond of Basa village. Gond told LCW, “My land of 40 acres (16.18 ha) had been in my possession for 60 years, but the mutation had transferred my land to nine people from another panchayat. I had already complained about this incorrect mutation to the Tehsildar, Collector and the Chief Minister's helpline number, but I am yet to receive a response.” But the government land given to the landless in the year 2000 had not been computerised.
According to a Down to Earth report, Ganesh Chadar of Keolari Kalan in Kesli, a Dalit person, had received a lease for 2.47 acres (1 ha) of government land in the year 2000. "I even asked for help from the Chief Minister’s helpline number, and paid Rs 2,000 as a bribe to the Patwari to get the land records digitalised, but all efforts failed."
The Tehsildar of Kesli declined to comment when contacted by LCW. Meanwhile, Sagar District Collector Deepak Arya said he had no information regarding the matter.
In 2026, Collector Sandeep GR suspended Sunil Soni, the Patwari of Dhenchua village in Sagar district's Kesli development block, with immediate effect for lapses in filing revenue cases and delays in completing official work.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Complaint against procedural violations
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Correcting errors in land records during digitisation to transfer ownership to original owners and halting illegal capture of land by influential parties
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Private
N/A
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
No
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Agricultural land, Residential area
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Central/State Government Policy, Land Reform Laws, Other
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
Yes
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Land record discrepancies
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
Yes
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
No
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
