Kakinada: Advocates in Andhra Pradesh boycotted courts on Monday as a part of their protest against the AP Land Titling Act-2022. The new law, they alleged, could lead to loss of property for many land-owners.
The advocates from various bar associations staged protests in different forms. In Kakinada, they launched a relay fast at the Bar Association premises. “We would continue their agitation until the government abolished the AP Land Titling Act,” they said.
Senior advocate Kakarla Venkateswara Rao said if the real farmer or property owner faced injustice from the AP land titling officer, he (the land owner) can’t approach the civil courts for justice and they have to, instead, file cases only in the high court. “But, such farmers can’t afford to go to high courts. The costs will be heavy,” he pointed out.
He said that due to the AP Land Titling Act, the real farmers can lose their lands, while land grabbers, politically influential persons and mafia would grab their lands forcibly and get the land rights through the land titling officers.
In Rajamahendravaram, advocates staged a massive bike rally in the city, raising slogans against the Act and also against the government.
“We would boycott the courts till Dec 22 and then a future action plan would be decided,” the protesting advocates said.
AP bar council member Muppalla Subba Rao said that thousands of cases are being filed in the various courts in the state due to litigation from the revenue department. “Now, if the processing of the land issues are entrusted to the same department, the common man and the poor farmers will not get justice and they can lose their rights on their lands.”
He said the same acts are in force in Australia and America, but the officials of those countries were following rules strictly and “they don’t act as puppets of the ruling party leaders, like in Andhra Pradesh.”
“As many as 500 judges are engaged to settle the land disputes in the civil courts at present. But, as per the law, hereafter, these thousands of cases can be dealt with by only 26 land titling officers,” he added.
