The Crossbill News Desk
The Gujarat Legislative Assembly on Wednesday (March 25) passed amendments to the state’s contentious Disturbed Areas Act, granting expanded authority to district collectors over property transactions in areas newly classified as “specified” zones.
The move, cleared by a majority in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled House, introduces significant administrative powers aimed at regulating property ownership and transfers in regions identified as communally sensitive, reported The Indian Express.
The amended legislation has once again revived debate around the long-standing Disturbed Areas Act, which critics argue contributes to ghettoisation of minorities, particularly Muslims, even as the state government maintains that the law is necessary to preserve social stability and protect property rights.
Minister of State for Revenue Sanjaysinh Mahida defended the amendments during the Assembly proceedings, stating that the objective was to prevent “involuntary transfer of properties in the specified areas and protection of legal owners’ interests”.
According to newspaper, the legislation titled “Gujarat Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provision for Protection of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in the Disturbed Areas (Amendment) Bill 2026’ broadens the definition of an “aggrieved party” and empowers collectors to suo motu examine complaints regarding property transfers filed by the “upset” party.
The Bill gives the collector the power to take possession of any such property, if the property transfer is found “objectionable”, said Mahida. It also introduces provisions for the creation of a monitoring and advisory committee tasked with assessing areas that may face communal disturbances resulting in “involuntary displacement” of residents.
The amendment replaces the earlier provision for declaring a locality a ‘disturbed area’ with a wider framework covering “situations where an area of the state has become or is likely to become prone to disturbance of public order due to communal tensions…” it proposes.
During the debate, BJP MLAs including legislator from Amit Shah and MLA from Vejalpur Amit Thaker claimed that Hindus were “forced” to migrate after selling their properties to Muslims and that there was a “conspiracy” to change the demography of Ahmedabad.
The Bill drew opposition from Congress MLA Imran Khedawala, the only Muslim member of the Assembly, who argued that such discussions reflected electoral anxieties within the ruling party. He also requested the state government to allocate land for the minority community in proportion to its population.
“If it is true that there is peace in Gujarat in the last 30 years of the BJP’s rule, then why are new areas added to the Disturbed Areas Act. Over the last few years, 44 new areas have been included under the Act,” said Khedawal, a Congress MLA from Jamalpur-Khadia.
The move, cleared by a majority in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled House, introduces significant administrative powers aimed at regulating property ownership and transfers in regions identified as communally sensitive, reported The Indian Express.
The amended legislation has once again revived debate around the long-standing Disturbed Areas Act, which critics argue contributes to ghettoisation of minorities, particularly Muslims, even as the state government maintains that the law is necessary to preserve social stability and protect property rights.
Minister of State for Revenue Sanjaysinh Mahida defended the amendments during the Assembly proceedings, stating that the objective was to prevent “involuntary transfer of properties in the specified areas and protection of legal owners’ interests”.
According to newspaper, the legislation titled “Gujarat Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provision for Protection of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in the Disturbed Areas (Amendment) Bill 2026’ broadens the definition of an “aggrieved party” and empowers collectors to suo motu examine complaints regarding property transfers filed by the “upset” party.
The Bill gives the collector the power to take possession of any such property, if the property transfer is found “objectionable”, said Mahida. It also introduces provisions for the creation of a monitoring and advisory committee tasked with assessing areas that may face communal disturbances resulting in “involuntary displacement” of residents.
The amendment replaces the earlier provision for declaring a locality a ‘disturbed area’ with a wider framework covering “situations where an area of the state has become or is likely to become prone to disturbance of public order due to communal tensions…” it proposes.
During the debate, BJP MLAs including legislator from Amit Shah and MLA from Vejalpur Amit Thaker claimed that Hindus were “forced” to migrate after selling their properties to Muslims and that there was a “conspiracy” to change the demography of Ahmedabad.
The Bill drew opposition from Congress MLA Imran Khedawala, the only Muslim member of the Assembly, who argued that such discussions reflected electoral anxieties within the ruling party. He also requested the state government to allocate land for the minority community in proportion to its population.
“If it is true that there is peace in Gujarat in the last 30 years of the BJP’s rule, then why are new areas added to the Disturbed Areas Act. Over the last few years, 44 new areas have been included under the Act,” said Khedawal, a Congress MLA from Jamalpur-Khadia.
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