Patna High Court has given a big blow to the government in its two decisions regarding Jamabandi and land dispute in Bihar. In both the decisions, the High Court made it clear that the Bihar government or its administrative system cannot cancel the Jamabandi without the direction of the court. Both these decisions of the High Court have come at a time when the Bihar government is running a large-scale campaign to cancel the Jamabandi in the name of illegal land.
In January 2026, a government order said that cases related to illegal land should be heard immediately and if necessary, the jamabandi should be cancelled. Officials were given 45 days to complete the process.
1. On June 25, the bench of Justice Saurendra Pandey gave an important decision. The matter was of Khaira area of Jamui. In this nearly 60 years old case, the Circle Officer was not issuing the land receipt to the land owner. His argument was that the freezing of this land had already been cancelled. After the hearing, the High Court said that only the competent court has the right to cancel the jamabandi. Officials cannot take such decisions at their own level.
During the hearing, the High Court also reprimanded the officials of Bihar government, the court said that the officials are trying to become judges, which is not appropriate. If someone's submission (filing-dismissal) is wrong, then challenge it in the court. Whatever decision the court gives, get it implemented as per the law.
2. On June 26, Patna High Court said in an order – The government cannot cancel the freezing of any land without giving notice. The case was of Katihar, in which the petitioner said that he was in possession of the land for the last 39 years. Now the government suddenly canceled the jamabandi without giving any notice. No reason was given.
The High Court declared this wrong in its decision. The High Court said that no specific reason was given in the order to cancel the Jamabandi. The government did not even give a chance to present its side. In such a situation, the court gave its decision to restore the jamabandi in the case.
According to Bihar government, more than 3 lakh cases related to mutation are pending. At the same time, in February 2026, the government told the Assembly that 46 lakh cases were registered on the online resolution portal, out of which only 6 lakh could be resolved. To root out land disputes, the Bihar government has also changed the registry rules.
According to police statistics, there is a land dispute behind every third murder in Bihar. For example, in the year 2025, 224 cases of murder were registered in the state, out of which 67 murders were related to land disputes. Similarly, 344 cases of murder were registered in 2024, of which 88 cases were related to land disputes.
