The state acquisition and tenancy act, 1950 is considered to be the landmark legislation in the land

arena of bangladesh.this act bears a lengthy history behind it.the permanent settlement of 1793 had
failed in its object.the land administration system was becoming ineffective.the british administration
always showed concern for the means by which the raiyats could be brought under direct control of
government.they were going to their goal step by step. After permanent settlement they introduced the
bengal tenancy act, 1885. This act also failed to recover the interest of the raiyats as the interest was left
at the mercy of the zaminders.as a result of permanent settlement government revenue agents turned
into landowners overnight.Landlords were allowed to own their property subject to regular payment of
revenue to the government, for the default of which their right was liable to be sold in auction.their
right was made both heritable and transferable. No restraint was imposed on the landlords on the
increase of the rent of the raiyats.The customary right of the raiyats to pay rent at pargana rate was
denied. Instead, an increased rent was demanded from them, in spite of the provisions of the regulation
no viii of 1793 which directed landlords not to increase rent of raiyats paying fixed rent not more than
12 years and grant patta to other tenants at pargana rates.The regulation no xvii of 1793 provided that
on the failure of the raiyats to pay increased rent, all their movables, including standing crops were
made liable to attachment and sale by the landlords without the intervention of the court. Refusal of
raiyats to pay increased rent and their organized resistance to attachment and sale compelled the
government to make regulation no vii of 1799, which authorized landlords to arrest the reluctant raiyats
refusing to pay rents and also to attach and sell their properties.several regulations were also
implemented for regulating the work of village patwaris and parganakanungos who were paid salaries.
But those objects of the permanent settlement regulation, 1793 were absolutely failed. Though there
were some defects of the regulation such as there was the scope of abusing the power by the
zaminders, no provisions concerning land development, scope of oppressing the cultivators seriously
etc.in that circumstances the british were thoughtful of implementing new rules for land management.in
the early part of the 19th century the united kingdom government expressed approval of a policy
whereby every zamindary tenure should be purchased on the part of the government and then settled1
with the raiyats on raiyatwary principle.The select committee of the house of commons that sat in 1830
suggested that government might acquire zamindaries by private public purchase, in order to protect
the rights of the raiyat, provided that the involved was not so great as to prevent the working of such a
scheme.2 but it was not possible at that time to accept that suggestion of the committee.when the
democratic election system was run the people demanded to the elected members to abolish the
zamindari system to protect their interest in the land.the krishakproza party of sher-e-bangla was not be
able to get majority seats in 1937 though the party vowed to abolish the zamindari system.for this
reason he constituted coalition government with muslim league but also failed to protect the demand of
the raiyats.in 1938 a high powered commission was set up under the chairmanship of sir francis floud to
report inter alia “whether it is practicable and advisable for government to acquire all the superior
interests in agricultural land so as to bring the actual cultivators into direct relation with the
government.”3 after a laborious investigation for two years into the land tenure system prevailing in
bengal from the hindu period down to the then existing system, the majority of the commission
recorded their considered opinion that whatever might have been the justification for the permanent
settlement in 1793. It was no longer suited to the conditions of the present time and that the zamindari
system developed so many defects that it had caused serve any national interest.accordingly they
recommended that the actual cultivators should be brought into direct relation with government by the
acquisition of all rent receiving interests in land so that the government as the sole landlord may be in a
much better position than any individual private landlord to initiate development measures with a view
to improving the condition of the tillers of the soil. In 1940 this commission suggested to the
government directly to abolish the zamindari system and advised to bring the actual cultivators into
direct relation with the government. But for the direct opposition by many of the elected
representatives it wasnot possible to raise the bill in the provincial parliament.in 1943 the cabinet under
fazlulhaque resigned and a new cabinet was formed under the leadership of khajanazimuddin. In 1944,
this cabinet formed an investigation committee to re-examine the report of floud commission. This
committee also suggested abolishing the zamindari system like that of the floudcommission.the bengal
administration enquiry committee, 1945 constituted under the chairmanship of sir archibald rowland,
also expressed that so long as the present outmoded system of land tenure remained the administrative
machinery of government, being clogged by it at every turn, was bound to fail to achieve its maximum
result in the exploitation of the land and water resources of the province.4 they suggested that the
earliest possible effect should be given to the recommendation of the public opinion for mending the
existing land tenure system and it was urged that no co-coordinated plan of reconstruction of the
country could be taken so long as the zemindary system remained.the recommendations of the land
revenue commission remained under the consideration of the government of bengal for a considerable
length of time and that government ultimately decided to accept the recommendation of the
commission. With a view to implementing this decision the bengal state acquisition and tenancy bill,
1947 was introduced on the 10th april of that year and referred to select committee but no further
progress was made owing to constitutional changes. The administration was handed over to the
governments of india and pakistan in august, 1947.it was also considered necessary to provide for
scaling down of debts of rent receivers others whose interests would be acquired under the proposed
measure and for other incidental matters connected with the acquisition of such interest, regulation and
rights and liabilities of tenants under the government and maintenance of record-of-rights.with the
objects in view, the state acquisition and tenancy bill was framed and published on the 31st march,
1948.it was then referred to the special committee of the house. They made considerable modification
in the bill, the most important of which the addition of chapter ii which “has been added to provide for
the acquisition of some big rent receiving interest as early as possible.”5 the bill was enacted on the
16th february 1950 as the east bengal state acquisition and tenancy act, 1950 and was reserved for the
assent of governor general, who gave his assent on the 16th may, 1951. The newact has repealed the
famous bengal tenancy act, 1885. The act nowhere says when it will come into force. In the absence of
such provision it was held that it has come into operation from the 16th may,1951, the date when the
governor general has given his assent.in order to enhance and sustain the productivity of land and
reduction of poverty, there should be meaningful land reform with consideration for khas land
(government owned land), absentee land ownership,land ceiling and so on. The effective distribution of
khas land will create enormous employment opportunities, reduce rural-urban migration,and reduce the
overall rate of poverty.hence, the state acquisition and tenancy act, 1950 (sat act) tries to show a
harbinger role for settlement of very acute dispute and complexity. The following title head indicates
the goal of aforesaid act.the sat act came into being to eradicate the flaws among the provisions of land
and to fill the gap created from previous lacking.it sets its object principally to remove the landlord’s
interest from the land to collect rent and to acquire rent receiving interest by the govt alone
recommendation of floud commission constituted a bundle of objects.