Land reforms in India since independence have been regarded as a crucial instrument for achieving social justice, reducing rural poverty, and transforming agrarian relations. At the time of independence, the agrarian structure was characterized by intermediaries such as zamindars, insecure tenancy, high rents, and a highly unequal distribution of land. The primary objectives of land reforms were to abolish intermediaries, regulate tenancy, impose ceilings on landholdings, and consolidate fragmented holdings in order to promote equity and agricultural productivity. The abolition of the zamindari system was the first major step. Through legislative measures enacted by various states during the 1950s, intermediaries were removed, and ownership rights were transferred to actual cultivators. This reform eliminated parasitic rent-seeking layers and brought millions of tenants into direct contact with the state. However, while it succeeded in dismantling formal intermediary structures, in many regions former zamindars retained substantial land by manipulating legal loopholes, registering land under relatives’ names, or