Income-tax Act, 1961 · Chapter XXC: Purchase by Central Government of Immovable Properties in Certain Cases of Transfer
Section 269UE: Vesting of property in Central Government
The Income-tax Act, 1961 was repealed by the Income-tax Act, 2025 from 1 April 2026. The text is kept here because the judgments below apply it.
In plain words
When an order is made under section 269UD for specific immovable property, ownership vests in the Central Government. The person in possession must surrender the property within fifteen days, unless they are a bona fide holder of an encumbrance or lessee whose rights remain valid. The appropriate authority may use force or police assistance to take possession if needed. This transfer does not remove the liability of the transferor or other persons for any encumbrances on the property.
- Property vests in the Central Government on the date of the order under section 269UD.
- The appropriate authority may declare an encumbrance or leasehold interest void if it was specified to defeat this Chapter.
- Possession must be surrendered within fifteen days of the order being served on the person holding it.
- Sub-sections (2), (3) and (4) do not apply to bona fide holders of encumbrances or lessees if their rights are not voided.
- The appropriate authority may use necessary force to take possession if a person refuses or fails to comply.
- Police officers must assist the appropriate authority if their services are requisitioned for taking possession.
- The transfer does not discharge the transferor or any other person from liability regarding encumbrances on the property.
Example: If a person refuses to leave a property after receiving the order, the appropriate authority can enter and take possession using necessary force or by calling police officers for help.
A simplified explanation, prepared with AI assistance from the official text below and checked automatically against it for numbers and cross-references. The official text is the law and prevails over this summary. Not legal advice.
Official text
(1) Where an order under sub-section (1) of section 269UD is made by the appropriate authority in respect of an immovable property referred to in sub-clause (i) of clause (d) of section 269UA, such property shall, on the date of such order, vest in the Central Government [in terms of the agreement for transfer referred to in sub-section (1) of section 269UC]: [Provided that where the appropriate authority, after giving an opportunity of being heard to the transferor, the transferee or other persons interested in the said property, under sub-section (1A) of section 269UD, is of the opinion that any encumbrance on the property or leasehold interest specified in the aforesaid agreement for transfer is so specified with a view to defeat the provisions of this Chapter, it may, by order, declare such encumbrance or leasehold interest to be void and thereupon the aforesaid property shall vest in the Central Government free from such encumbrance or leasehold interest.]
(2) The transferor or any other person who may be in possession of the immovable property in respect of which an order under sub-section (1) of section 269UD is made, shall surrender or deliver possession thereof to the appropriate authority or any other person duly authorised by the appropriate authority in this behalf within fifteen days of the service of such order on him: [Provided that the provisions of this sub-section and sub-sections (3) and (4) shall not apply where the person in possession of the immovable property, in respect of which an order under sub-section (1) of section 269UD is made, is a bona fide holder of any encumbrance on such property or a bona fide lessee of such property, if the said encumbrance or lease has not been declared void under the proviso to sub-section (1) and such person is eligible to continue in possession of such property even after the transfer in terms of the aforesaid agreement for transfer.]
(3) If any person refuses or fails to comply with the provisions of sub-section (2), the appropriate authority or other person duly authorised by it under that sub-section may take possession of the immovable property and may, for that purpose, use such force as may be necessary.
(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (2), the appropriate authority may, for the purpose of taking possession of any property referred to in sub-section (1), requisition the services of any police officer to assist him and it shall be the duty of such officer to comply with such requisition.
(5) For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that nothing in this section shall operate to discharge the transferor or any other person (not being the Central Government) from liability in respect of any encumbrances on the property and, notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, such liability may be enforced against the transferor or such other person.
(6) Where an order under sub-section (1) of section 269UD is made in respect of an immovable property, being rights of the nature referred to in sub-clause (ii) of clause (d) of section 269UA, such order shall have the effect of—
(a) vesting such right in the Central Government ; and
(b) placing the Central Government in the same position in relation to such rights as the person in whom such a right would have continued to vest if such order had not been made.
(7) Where any rights in respect of any immovable property, being rights in, or with respect to, any land or any building or part of a building which has been constructed or which is to be constructed, have been vested in the Central Government under sub-section (6), the provisions of sub-sections (1), (2), (3) and (4) shall, so far as may be, have effect as if the references to immovable property therein were references to such land or building or part thereof, as the case may be.
Source: India Code (Legislative Department), the text of the Act as it stood before its repeal. Words in square brackets [ ] were inserted or substituted by later amending Acts, and *** marks words omitted by an amendment. The amendment footnotes are not reproduced here. Official text on India Code.
Supreme Court judgments citing the section 269UE
- Delhi Development Authority v. M/S. Karamdeep Finance & Investment (I) Pvt. Ltd. & Ors.
- Harshad Govardhan Sondagar v. International Assets Reconstruction Co. Ltd.
- Asgar S. Patel and Ors. v. Union of India and Ors.
- Sri K.V. Shivakumar and Anr. v. The Appropriate Authority and Ors.
- Adair Dutta and Co. India Pvt. Ltd. v. The Appropriate Authority, Income Tax Department
- M/S. Gujarat Machinery Manufacturers Ltd. v. Collector, Central Excise, Baroda.