Highest arable land ceiling 60 bighas

No person can own more than 60 bighas of arable land, even if they inherit more than that. After retaining their preferred 60 bighas of land, individuals must surrender the excess, which may be acquired by the government with compensation.
These provisions are enshrined in the Land Reform Act-2023, which was passed in the House on Tuesday.
On that day, the parliament passed a total of three land-related bills: the 'Land Crimes Prevention and Redress Act, 2023,' the 'Land Reform Act, 2023,' and the 'Balumohal and Soil Management (Amendment) Act, 2023' (pertaining to sand quarrying).
Once granted assent by the President, these bills will become law and be published through gazette notification.
At a press conference at the Secretariat on Wednesday, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said that if anyone illicitly acquires additional land in their name or through a pseudonym, despite already owning 60 bighas, the surplus land will be confiscated without any compensation.
He clarified that the primary objective of the Land Crimes Prevention and Redress Act is to discourage individuals from engaging in land-related crimes.
The minister also said the process of enacting this land crime law was complex and sensitive. Extensive consultations were held with stakeholders, both at the individual and organisational levels, during the drafting phase.
He added that this is a relatively new law, and any necessary adjustments will be made based on its field-level implementation.
Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said land-related offences have been categorised into eight primary types, which include land fraud, land forgery, illegal occupancy, and failure to transfer possession of land sold to the buyer, among others.
He said trials for land fraud-related and land forgery-related crimes should take place in the court of a first-class judicial magistrate or a metropolitan magistrate. These trials must be completed within 180 working days.
Land Secretary Md Khalilur Rahman was present on this occasion.
The secretary informed that crimes related to land fraud and land forgery are punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment and fines, while other offences can lead to up to two years of imprisonment and fines. If the same offence is repeated, the law prescribes double punishment.

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