Centre for Tribal and land Rights (CTLR)

The Centre for Tribal and Land Rights advances research, legal literacy, and policy engagement on land governance affecting marginalized communities. It supports legislative processes, trains paralegals, and builds institutional capacity across stakeholders. By addressing land disputes and promoting awareness, the Centre works toward equitable access to land, justice, and sustainable livelihoods.

The Centre for Tribal and Land Rights (CTLR) at NALSAR promotes legal engagement in land governance and tribal rights, actively shaping policy reforms, conducting groundbreaking research, and empowering local communities through grassroots initiatives. Its core mission is to ensure that legal education delivers meaningful societal benefits. By working at the intersection of law and administration, the Centre aims to close the gap between legal rights and real-world experiences, driving institutional reforms that expand access to justice and secure land rights for vulnerable groups of society.

About the Centre

The CTLR at NALSAR embodies the University’s commitment to aligning legal education with the public purpose. Established to address critical issues in land governance and tribal rights, the Center operates at the intersection of law, policy, and administration. It engages in legislative reform, field-based interventions, and legal empowerment initiatives that directly address the structural challenges faced by communities dependent on land for livelihood, identity, and security.

Over time, CTLR has developed into a unique institutional model that demonstrates how academic institutions can play a significant role in governance. Its efforts aim to bridge the ongoing gap between formal legal frameworks and their practical access, especially for tribal communities, small and marginal farmers, landless cultivators, rural households, and other vulnerable groups who are often excluded from meaningful legal processes.

Our Philosophy

The Centre is founded on the principle that legal education must extend beyond doctrinal analysis and actively engage with the realities of those whom the law often fails to reach. Even today, his leadership and vision continue to shape the Centre’s sustained growth, institutional development, and strategic direction.

Mr. M. Sunil Kumar, a 2004 NALSAR graduate, has played a crucial role in connecting fieldwork with policy reform and innovations in land governance through his long-term partnership with Landesa, where he served as its State Director in India. Mr. K. Shiva Charan has significantly contributed to research, consultations, documentation, and support for implementation across various projects. Their efforts, complemented by the work of district officials, revenue officers, advocates, legal coordinators, students, and community volunteers, have helped establish the Centre as a resilient institutional model of socially engaged legal work.

CTLR considers land rights not only as issues of title or management but as core to the constitutional principles of dignity, equality, and social justice. Its work spans multiple levels, including policy development, institutional reform, and community engagement, to ensure that legal frameworks are both ethically sound and practically effective.

Present Members

The Centre is currently headed by Dr. Mallikarjun Gade, Director of CTLR, who continues to enhance the Centre’s efforts in land governance, institutional reform, and access to justice. He is supported by A. Sridhar, a faculty member, along with a dedicated team involved in research, field projects, and academic programming. Recently, Prof. Dr. Harathi Vagheesan partnered with the Tribal Welfare Department to conduct a field survey of tribal communities in Telangana’s Scheduled Areas, engaging with community members. The resulting report is anticipated to be submitted to the TCR&TI very soon.

The Centre’s work is sustained by a collaborative academic model in which faculty members combine doctrinal expertise, research, field experience, and policy engagement to advance CTLR’s vision of socially responsive legal education.

Research and Collaboration

A defining phase of CTLR’s institutional contribution emerged during 2015–2016, when the Centre undertook a comprehensive review and revision of approximately 112 land and revenue legislations for the States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This exercise involved extensive doctrinal analysis alongside structured stakeholder consultations with advocates, civil servants, revenue officials, academicians, civil society organisations, and representatives from tribal and rural communities.

The Centre’s recommendations helped refine land governance frameworks and were evident in policy discussions and legislative drafting. During the same period, CTLR also supported work on tenancy law, land acquisition frameworks, and model agricultural land leasing policies of the State.

Building on its continued engagement with tribal issues, CTLR has, in principle, collaborated with the Tribal Cultural Research and Training Institute (TCR&TI), Department of Tribal Welfare, Government of Telangana. This collaboration aims to strengthen research, field surveys, documentation, and policy initiatives related to tribal rights, including land access, customary practices, and legal awareness among Tribal Communities and in Scheduled Areas across the State.

In 2022, CTLR was engaged to provide legal support to Andhra Pradesh’s YSR Jagananna Saswatha Bhoo Hakku Mariyu Bhoo Raksha Padhakam, a large-scale land resurvey initiative. The Centre contributed through legal review, drafting assistance, capacity-building, development of awareness materials, and dispute resolution support, underscoring its role as a trusted institutional partner in governance reform.

Outreach and Engagement

CTLR’s outreach work is grounded in the principle that legal reform must be informed by field realities. Between 2016 and 2017, the Centre held a series of district-level consultations across Telangana, including in Warangal, Vikarabad, Jangaon, Suryapet, Mahabubabad, Kothagudem, Karimnagar, Kamareddy, Adilabad, and Nagarkurnool. These consultations brought together district administrators, revenue officials, advocates, farmers, women’s groups, and community stakeholders to inform legislative reform.

A key achievement of the Centre was creating a community-led land records update system. Rolled out in several villages, this initiative trained local youth as paralegals to carry out surveys, spot errors in land records, and help communities navigate revenue procedures. It led to solving long-standing land disputes, issuing land titles, and enhancing beneficiaries’ access to institutional credit.

Additionally, in 2016, the Centre set up a Land Rights Legal Aid Clinic in Warangal with the Telangana Legal Services Authority, providing legal support to hundreds on land disputes and legal documentation issues.

Contact

Telephone Number : + 91 40 2349 8210 ; Mobile Number : + 91 9440 687 870

Team

Profile photo of Dr. G. Mallikarjun

Dr. G. Mallikarjun

Designation: Associate Professor of Law

Profile photo of Mr. M. Suneel Kumar

Mr. M. Suneel Kumar

Designation: President at Legal Empowerment and Assistance for Farmers Society and member at Telangana Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Commission

Publications

CTLR publications include legislative reports, policy briefs, consultation reports, and field documentation related to land governance and tribal rights. These works enable the state to make informed, comprehensive decisions in land governance and also simultaneously contribute to informative academic discussions and policy development with evidence-based reforms in land administration.

News on Centre Activities

Recognition of CTLR’s Land Records Model by the Government of Telangana (2017)

  • The community-driven land records updation pilot, initially undertaken in six villages, was officially appreciated by both the State Government and the Government of India.
  • The Centre utilized a multi-dimensional approach to address land issues, which included household surveys, physical inventory of land, and land records verification.
  • Through the successful implementation of this pilot model, a tribal village named Puttalabhupati became entirely free from land problems.
  • The process demonstrated that the effective participation of the community, particularly the involvement of local youth under the supervision of landowners, can significantly contribute to making land records mirror ground realities and resolving existing land disputes.

Events

District-Level Consultations on Land Governance (2016–2017)

  • CTLR organized district-level stakeholder consultations across ten districts in collaboration with Landesa and the respective district administrations.
  • These meetings were held at various district headquarters to discuss and understand the diverse perspectives and aspirations of the public regarding land governance.
  • The primary objective of these localized consultations was to receive direct inputs and feedback on the necessary changes required in existing land laws.
  • Participants represented a broad range of stakeholders, including revenue department officials, farmer groups, civil society organizations, women’s federations, academia, and other interest groups.

State-Level Consultations on Tribal Land Administration (2017)

  • The Centre hosted a dedicated state-level workshop titled ‘Land Governance in Tribal Areas: Issues and Perspectives’ on May 18, 2017, at the NALSAR campus.
  • The event featured an address by Shri. Azmeera Chandu Lal, the Hon’ble Minister for Tribal Welfare, highlighted that tribal populations in Telangana suffer from inaccurate land records and insecure land rights.
  • During the consultation, the Minister formally appreciated CTLR’s efforts in reviewing land legislations with a specialized focus on safeguarding the rights of tribal communities.

Legal Support for Andhra Pradesh Land Resurvey (2022)

  • Following an MoU with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, NALSAR, through the CTLR, has taken a leading role in providing legal consultancy for the state’s extensive land resurvey initiative.
  • The Centre offers vital legal guidance and assistance to the Department of Revenue for the “YSR Jagananna Saswatha Bhu Hakku Mariyu Bhu Raksha” scheme.
  • CTLR helps draft and revise land laws, rules, and directives to support resurvey efforts and trains revenue officials and stakeholders to ensure the legal integrity of new land records.
  • A primary aim of this partnership is to develop a framework for resolving long-standing land disputes uncovered during the survey.

Activities of CTLR Undertaken During the Year 2025–2026

  • In collaboration with LEAFS (Legal Empowerment and Assistance for Farmers Society), CTLR organized 75 days of discussions from January 26, 2025, to April 10, 2025, focusing on the significance of 75 years of the Indian Constitution and its achievements in relation to agriculture, farming techniques, agricultural models, public policies, legal frameworks, grievance redressal mechanisms for issues such as fake seeds, and the benefits available under various Central and State Government schemes and subsidies.
  • CTLR, in collaboration with LEAFS, established several initiatives, including “Saagu Nyaya Kendralu,” “Bhunyaya Shibiralu,” “Nyaya Ganta,” “Saagu Nyayam” YouTube Channel, “Bhumi Samvaad,” Agri Legal Aid Clinics, “Saagu Bhumi Chettalu,” and “Bhumi Sangathulu” YouTube Channel, all aimed at addressing land and agriculture-related issues, providing legal support, and conducting awareness and sensitization programmes.
  • CTLR promotes and supports internship programmes for law students to equip them with practical knowledge of land laws, governance, and related legal issues.
  • CTLR has been actively engaged in consultations on policy matters relating to the Bhu Bharati Act, 2025, in coordination with local revenue officials, while also sensitizing nearby villagers regarding the procedure for regularization of ‘Sadabinama’ transactions.

Collaboration with TCR&TI

  • Building on its long-standing focus on tribal welfare, CTLR has partnered with the Tribal Cultural Research and Training Institute (TCR&TI) under the Government of Telangana.
  • This partnership focuses on enhancing research, field documentation, and policy advocacy regarding tribal land access and customary practices.
  • The collaboration aims to increase legal awareness and protect the rights of tribal communities residing in Scheduled Areas across the state.

Training Programmes for Paralegals and Officials (Ongoing)

  • The Centre has successfully trained approximately one thousand paralegals, who have collectively assisted in resolving over one million land problems for the poor and landless.
  • In Warangal District alone, the Land Rights Legal Aid Clinic trained around 4,000 individuals on land matters, including paralegal volunteers, Self-Help Group (SHG) women, Anganwadi workers, students, police and revenue officers, advocates, and media personnel.
  • CTLR consistently conducts specialized capacity-building programs for government officials, providing training to various stakeholders working on land, including revenue, forest, and tribal welfare officials.
  • Specific governmental training initiatives include a one-day program for Forest Officers on land laws and litigation held on December 21, 2016, and a dedicated training session for Village Revenue Officers (VROs) in Nalgonda district on maintaining proper land records held on October 7, 2015.

Courses Offered

Land Rights Clinical Course

4-Credit Clinical Course

The Centre offers a 4-credit Land Rights Clinical Course for fourth- and fifth-year Law students, bridging classroom theory and practical legal work in land law. This course provides students with both doctrinal knowledge and hands-on skills to handle land disputes and administrative tasks. It covers essential topics like land records, title verification, land acquisition law, land reforms, Land Ceiling legislation, laws concerning Scheduled Areas and Assigned Lands, and Real Estate Regulation.

As a result, students learn to interact effectively with revenue authorities and the public on land and property issues, understand procedural requirements for civil and revenue court cases, and critically evaluate land disputes and later offer legal aid and advice to the aggrieved persons. They also explore how the law can facilitate peaceful resolutions between Citizens and Revenue authorities.

A key aspect of the Clinic is its focus on experiential learning, in which students visit revenue offices, courts, and regulatory agencies and participate in hands-on activities such as drafting pleadings, conducting due diligence, analyzing real case scenarios, conducting legal research, and providing legal aid. Their evaluation includes project work, drafting tasks, and presentations that demonstrate the practical legal skills they acquire during their time in the Clinic.