Jaipur – The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has condemned the Rajasthan Prohibition of Transfer of Immovable Property and Provision for Protection of Tenants from Eviction from Premises in Disturbed Areas Bill, 2026, calling it a direct assault on fundamental rights and a recipe for minority ghettoisation.
In a strongly worded press note issued ahead of the bill’s assembly discussion today, PUCL demanded its unilateral withdrawal. The rights group argues the legislation, which allows declaration of “disturbed areas” based on “improper clustering of persons of one community” or “demographic imbalance,” violates Article 19(1)(e) guaranteeing the right to reside anywhere in India and the constitutional principle of fraternity outlined in the Preamble.
PUCL National President Kavita Srivastava highlighted how the bill promotes residential segregation, undermining social harmony in Rajasthan a state known for peace. “Intermixing of communities builds unity, but this BJP government sees it as a problem,” the note stated, warning of long-term harms like segregated schools, playgrounds, and generational enmity.
Key concerns include:
Property curbs: Section 2(f) targets “coercive or distress-driven” community concentrations, enabling bans on inter-community property sales, mirroring Gujarat’s model in cities like Ahmedabad and Surat.
Economic impact: Minorities, especially Muslims, would be locked out of the property market, facing bureaucratic hurdles under Section 5.
Harsh penalties: Section 8 imposes 3-5 years’ jail for violations like buying or selling in disturbed zones, declared for up to three years (extendable).
Ghettoisation risk: The law fractures mixed neighborhoods, fostering communal tension.
PUCL urged MLAs to vote by “constitutional conscience” rather than party lines and vowed legal challenges if the bill passes. Rajasthan PUCL President Bhanwar Meghwanshi and others signed the note.
The bill’s fate hangs in the balance as the assembly debates it today.
