(November 6, 2008) Local Church people have welcomed a decision by Jharkhand state's
High Court allowing tribal people to mortgage their land for bank loans. Father Ignace
Topno, vicar general of Ranchi archdiocese, India, said that the Church welcomes the
resolution of a controversy that has agitated the state's millions of tribal people
for more than a year, reported UCA News. The Oraon tribal priest explained to UCA
News on Oct. 30 that Jharkhand's tribal residents are basically farmers who have nothing
but their land to offer as security to get bank loans for various needs. On Oct.
25, the state's High Court ruled that tribal people and dalit can mortgage their land
to obtain educational and housing loans from government-managed banks. Dalit, meaning
"trampled upon" in Sanskrit, denotes people formerly called "untouchables" at the
bottom of India's traditional caste system. A two-judge bench nullified a circular
the state government issued on July 30, 2007, barring tribal people from mortgaging
their land for bank loans. At the time, state officials claimed the move was in line
with earlier laws barring outsiders from taking over tribal land, but the 19-page
judgment termed the government order "arbitrary" and "unjustified" in depriving tribal
people of their right to property and development. Father Topno pointed out the government
order had shattered many tribal students' dreams of higher education. "We welcome
the Jharkhand High Court's ruling. The state government's controversial circular had
made tribal people restive," he said. The decision is welcomed by all dioceses and
by the tribal leaders in the North- Eastern States.