Gauhati High Court to Hear Karbi Anglong Land Dispute Cases on PGR in Kherani

The Gauhati High Court has issued directives in response to several writ petitions regarding land disputes in the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC), focusing on encroachments on the Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR) in Kherani, West Karbi Anglong.

The KAAC’s counsel was granted time to submit affidavits in two cases, with hearings scheduled for February 19, 2025. Another case has been adjourned until February 5, 2025, with the interim order still in effect. The case centers around 11,607 bighas of PGR land, 22.26% of which has been encroached.

The KAAC has struggled to provide the original government notification that formally designates the land as PGR, though it references older documents. In response, the high-powered committee led by KAAC Chief Executive Member Tuliram Ronghang is working with the Director of Land Records, Assam, and sending representatives to London to locate the records.

Meanwhile, the KAAC has issued a tender for erecting barricades to protect unencroached land, as protests continue calling for the eviction of settlers, citing the Supreme Court’s 2011 ruling on protecting public grazing lands.