The Goa government has introduced a bill in the state Assembly to speed up land-grabbing cases through special courts.
The Goa Special Courts (Land Grabbing) Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Assembly on Monday. It will consider one or more Courts of Session as special courts that would only deal with land grabbing cases.
The move follows years of concern over unlawful occupation and disputed property transactions in the state. The government has said such cases have affected the rights of lawful landowners while also causing lengthy litigation.
What The New Bill Proposes
Under the proposed legislation, the Goa government, with the concurrence of the High Court, would be entitled to declare one or more Courts of Session as special courts for land grabbing cases.
Such courts would be responsible for the exclusive and expeditious trial of such cases. The proposed system is more like a specialized mechanism of land grabbing rather than a system that allows for prolonged legal processes to take place.
The Bill also provides for appeals against decisions of the Special Courts to be heard by the High Court. The proposed courts would have powers of a Court of Session as well as that of a Magistrate, including the power to take cognizance of offences.
The legislation is currently a bill and will have to go through the legislative process before becoming law.
What counts as Land Grabbing Under the Proposal
The legislation is broad-based in dealing with land grabbing activities.
Land grabbing, according to the Bill, is unauthorised possession of land through force, fraud or other unlawful means. The proposed framework also includes certain illegal tenancy arrangements, unauthorised construction and fraudulent or fake registration of property.
The Bill says that land grabbing and unlawful occupation are a serious problem in Goa. Those are areas where possession is said to be obtained through deceit, fraud or force and through unauthorised interests or transactions.
A dedicated legal system for such cases is to be created to handle them and shorten the time spent in court.
Justice VK Jadhav Commission Led To Proposal
The proposed legislation follows the work of a commission of inquiry set up by the Goa government in September 2022.
The Commission was headed by retired Justice V K Jadhav and was set to investigate land grabbing cases in the state. The findings of the commission showed a clear impact of land grabbing on legitimate owners of property and people in genuine possession of property, it said.
Such cases could also lead to protracted litigation and difficulty in implementing criminal law, the commission also said.
The Commission recommended that special courts be established to speed up the case and put it up for disposal in land grabbing cases. The government has now sought to put that recommendation in a formal legislative context.
Goa had already designated Special Courts
The Bill is in addition to a temporary arrangement to handle land-grab cases.
In July 2025, the Goa government established two District and Sessions courts, one in Panaji and another in Margao, to deal with existing and future land grabbing cases until new legislation had been passed. The move was in accordance with recommendations by the Jadhav Commission and the High Court of Bombay at Goa.
The proposal for 2026 would give a more permanent legal framework for the special court.
In fact, the earlier Commission had also recommended the fast disposal of such cases. The proposed Bill looks to address the same issue by giving specific courts jurisdiction over land grabbing.
No Fresh Burden On Government Proposed
It also includes provisions that would avoid an additional financial burden on the state government.
According to the Bill details, public prosecutors already attached to Sessions Courts would handle prosecutions before the Special Courts. That would mean the government would not need to make separate appointments for the new courts specifically.
The Bill also includes some provisions to smooth the way of implementing the proposed law. It takes into account certain actions taken before the law takes effect on the ground provided these actions are in accordance with the provisions of the proposed legislation.
What Happens Next
The Goa Special Courts (Land Grabbing) Bill, 2026 is the government’s third attempt to establish a system for dealing with disputed land occupation and related offences.
The bill has been introduced in the Goa Assembly and will now proceed through the legislative process. If it is passed, it would empower Special Courts to take care of land-grabbing cases and appeals would be made directly to the High Court.
For Goa, the proposed legislation is a change from temporary arrangements to a legal framework for land-grabbing cases. The efficiency of the system will ultimately depend on how fast cases are investigated, brought before the courts and resolved once the proposed law comes into force.
