Zamindari abolition
Topic: Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "Rights in the Indian Constitution"
Meaning
Zamindari abolition means the state laws passed after 1950 to remove zamindars. Zamindars were landlords who stood between the person who tilled the land and the State, and collected rent from the tiller. The aim was to give land to tillers and to carry out Directive Principles on economic justice and fair sharing of resources. Landlords challenged these laws in court under the right to property, which was then a Fundamental Right. Class 11 NCERT lists zamindari abolition as one of the directives that were put into action.
Example
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar passed zamindari abolition Acts in 1950. To protect such laws from court challenges, the 1st Amendment, 1951, added Articles 31A and 31B and the Ninth Schedule, a list of laws that courts could not strike down for breaking Fundamental Rights. Tenancy reform and ceilings on landholding followed, but how well land reform worked varied a lot from state to state.