THE TALUK LAND BOARD vs DR. BABU OOMEN THOMAS

The Supreme Court held that under Section 84(1) of the Kerala Land Reforms Act, 1963, all voluntary transfers not exempted are deemed invalid if they are calculated to defeat the provisions of the Act. The Court clarified that the conversion of cashew estates into plantations does not exempt them from the Act's provisions, as established in P.J. Thomas vs. Taluk Land Board [(1993) Supp. (1) SCC 300]. The Court ruled that the respondent's purchase of the cashew nut estate was invalid under Section 84(1) as it was intended to circumvent the Act's ceiling provisions.