VDA to Withdraw Ban on Sale Deed Registrations, Major Relief for Farmers
High Court Order Brings Cheer to Eight Villages, Residents Celebrate
Varanasi, September 8: Following the directions of the Allahabad High Court, the way has been cleared for the Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) to withdraw its order restricting the registration of sale deeds for land and houses in eight villages. The court has directed the VDA Vice-Chairman to withdraw the letter issued on December 26, 2025, within three days. The order has brought considerable relief and happiness among farmers and residents of the affected villages.
During the hearing of Writ-C No. 18850/2026, Kamlesh Kumar Patel vs. State of Uttar Pradesh and three others, a division bench comprising Justice Munir and Justice Indrajit Shukla questioned whether the VDA had the authority under the Uttar Pradesh Urban Planning and Development Act, 1973, or any other law to prevent registration of sale deeds executed by property owners without its permission.
Through its December 26, 2025 letter, the VDA had directed that sale deeds relating to land and houses in Ganjari, Harsos, Harpur, Zameen Shiv Sagar, Hardaspur, Suichak, Birbhanpur and Bhaidpur should not be registered without obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the authority.
During the proceedings, VDA counsel Ravi Prakash Pandey informed the court that the concerned villages had been excluded from the expansion of the Kashi Sports City project and that the VDA Vice-Chairman had directed that the December 26, 2025 letter be withdrawn. The High Court subsequently ordered that the letter be withdrawn within three days.
The court also directed that information regarding the order be communicated to the VDA Vice-Chairman within 24 hours. The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for September 11, 2026. Advocate Yogesh Singh represented the petitioner.
Residents Welcome the Order
As soon as the High Court’s decision became known, farmers and residents of all eight villages expressed happiness. They termed the order a major relief in protecting their rights over their land and property.
Kamlesh Patel, Ajit Verma, Vikas Patel, Vikram Patel, Pradeep Patel, Shiv Shankar Verma, Ranjit Patel, Satish Patel, Deepesh Patel, Krishnakar Patel, Manish Patel, Ramesh Patel, Vijay Bahadur, Lal Bahadur Patel, Rajesh Prajapati, Manoj Patel, Ashwini Patel, Vimal Patel, Arjun Patel and Raj Kumar Patel, among others, welcomed the decision.
The residents said that the restrictions on land registration had been causing difficulties for farmers and property owners for a long time. The High Court’s directions have now raised hopes of relief and a smoother process for the sale and registration of their properties.