Overview

• Cabinet approval makes inter‑religion land transfers subject to multi‑agency scrutiny, while same‑religion transactions proceed without extra checks.
• Files will move from the circle officer or sub‑divisional level to the DC, then a Revenue Department nodal officer, before Special Branch review and a DC ruling.
• The SOP also covers land purchases by NGOs based outside Assam, with Assam‑registered NGOs exempt from the additional vetting.
• Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma framed the measure as necessary for a sensitive state, citing past concerns over funding sources, demographic impact and national security.
• Officials said cases already pending for months will be processed under the new framework, which follows a March 2024 curb on inter‑religious land sale permissions.