Guwahati: The Supreme Court on Thursday, April 30, 2026, directed the Centre and all State governments to file their responses on a petition seeking the formation of a separate “revenue judicial service” to exclusively handle land dispute cases.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant issued notices on a plea moved by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. The petition also calls for fixed minimum legal qualifications and a standardised judicial training system for officials dealing with land-related adjudication work.
The petition has asked the court to rule that revenue officers lacking formal legal education and judicial training should not be entrusted with deciding disputes involving ownership, inheritance, succession, possession, and other property matters.
It has further requested High Courts to oversee and monitor cases involving land disputes such as title, succession, inheritance, possession, and related property matters.
According to the petitioner, allowing revenue or consolidation officers to decide complex land disputes without legal training is unreasonable and violates the constitutional guarantee of equality under Article 14.
He also stated that there are currently no mandatory legal qualifications or judicial training requirements for such officers, even though they exercise powers similar to civil courts.
He further argued that assigning judicial responsibilities to executive-controlled officers goes against the principle of separation of powers under Article 50 of the Constitution.
The petition also states that assigning complex legal decisions to officials without legal expertise is irrational and not legally sustainable.