Buying ‘Enemy Property’ in Maharashtra becomes cheaper; stamp duty and registration charges waived

New Delhi: The Maharashtra government has taken a major decision to completely waive stamp duty and registration charges on the purchase and sale of Enemy Properties. This proposal was approved in the state cabinet meeting held on Tuesday.

The main objective of this decision is to increase public participation in the auction of these properties and to expedite the stalled processes. According to state revenue department officials, the response to the auction of these properties has been very low so far. Waiving stamp duty will reduce the total cost of the property, which will attract buyers.

Why was this decision taken?
The government amended this law in 2017, giving CEPI (Custodian of Enemy Property for India) the right to sell or dispose of these properties with the permission of the central government. These sales are usually conducted through e-auctions. CEPI had requested the Maharashtra government to simplify and reduce the cost of the auction process. The state government believes that this exemption will now help in the quick disposal of these properties, which have been lying vacant or disputed for a long time, and will help the government generate revenue.

What are ‘Enemy Properties’?
Enemy Properties are properties (land, houses, or shares) that belong to people who migrated to China and Pakistan after the Indo-China (1962) and Indo-Pakistan (1965 and 1971) wars and acquired citizenship of those countries. India considers these countries as its adversaries.

A large portion of ‘Enemy Properties’ is located in Maharashtra, totaling 428 properties. Of these, the highest number, 239 properties, are located in Mumbai alone. Geographically, 62 properties are in the island city and 177 properties are spread across the Mumbai suburbs.

These properties are also spread across other districts of the state outside Mumbai, with 86 properties recorded in Thane, 77 in Palghar, and 11 in Ratnagiri. Additionally, six such properties have been identified in Nagpur, four in Pune, two each in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Jalna, and one in Sindhudurg.