Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 · Chapter XIII: Miscellaneous
Section 101: Return of unutilised land
When any land acquired under this Act remains unutilised for a period of five years from the date of taking over the possession, the same shall be returned to the original owner or owners or their legal heirs, as the case may be, or to the Land Bank of the appropriate Government by reversion in the manner as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government.
Explanation.—For the purpose of this section, Land Bank means a governmental entity that focuses on the conversion of Government owned vacant, abandoned, unutilised acquired lands and tax-delinquent properties into productive use.
State amendments to this section
Andhra Pradesh
In the principal Act, in section 101, for the words a period of five years, the words a period specified for setting up of any project or for five years, whichever is later, shall be substituted.
[Vide Andhra Pradesh Act 22 of 2018, sec. 11 (w.e.f. 1-1-2014).]
Haryana
After section 101 of the principal Act, the following section shall be inserted, namely:-
“101A. Power to denotify land.- When any public purpose, for which the land acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (Central Act 1 of 1894) becomes unviable or non-essential, the State Government shall be at liberty to denotify such land, on such terms, as considered expedient by the State Government, including the payment of compensation on account of damages, if any, sustained by the land owner due to such acquisition:
Provided that where a part of the acquired land has been utilized or any encumbrances have been created, the landowner may be compensated by providing alternative land alongwith payment of damages, if any, as determined by the State Government.”
[Vide Haryana Act 21 of 2018, sec. 5 (w.e.f. 9-5-2018).]
Source: India Code (indiacode.gov.in), the consolidated text published by the Legislative Department, Government of India. Text as updated on India Code on 14 October 2026. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 101
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M/s Ultra-Tech Cement Ltd. v. Mast Ram & Ors.
Whether the subject land and all other liabilities associated with it were transferred to the Appellant in terms of the Scheme; Whether it was the Appellant or JAL who was legally obliged to pay the compensation amount…