In Brief
The State of Kerala challenged a High Court decision that recognized a cultivating tenant's land ownership based on a certificate of purchase issued by the Land Tribunal. The dispute concerned whether land planted with coffee was a private forest subject to vesting under the Kerala Private Forests Act, 1971. The Supreme Court held that the certificate of purchase issued under the Land Reforms Act is conclusive proof of both title and possession. Since no appeal was filed against the certificate and it was issued after due inquiry, the land qualified for exemption from vesting as it was held by the owner under personal cultivation within applicable ceiling limits. The appeals were dismissed.
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