Who may buy agricultural land in Rajasthan — precisely

Can a non-agriculturist buy agricultural land here?

Yes — and this is the answer buyers most need, so we state it exactly and do not soften it. Section 41 of the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955 provides that "the interest of a Khatedar tenant shall be transferable otherwise than by way of sub-lease, subject to the conditions specified in sections 42 and 43." Nothing in the Act, or in the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956, requires a buyer of agricultural land to already be an agriculturist. We verified this the only honest way — by reading the Act in full and confirming the absence of any such restriction; only the definitions mention "agriculturist", and no purchase bar exists. So a non-agriculturist may buy khatedari land in Rajasthan.

Can someone from another state buy it?

Yes. There is no domicile or residency requirement for buying agricultural land in the Rajasthan Tenancy Act 1955 or the Land Revenue Act 1956 — a resident of another Indian state may purchase khatedari land here. This is the opposite of the Himachal Pradesh model (its Section 118 bars non-agriculturists), and on the non-agriculturist and other-state questions Rajasthan is at least as permissive as Haryana, which likewise has no agriculturist-only bar. The freedom rests on the absence of any restricting provision — which is a fact about the statute, not an inference from a neighbour.

Who then may NOT buy — the one hard bar?

The buyer-identity bar that voids deals is Section 42. A sale, gift or bequest by a khatedar who is a member of a Scheduled Caste in favour of a non-member of that Scheduled Caste — or by a Scheduled Tribe member to a non-member, or by a Saharia-tribe member to a non-member (§42bb) — is void. "Void" means it has no legal effect at all; it is not a transaction you can complete with permission. There is a Collector-validation route (§42B), but it covers only certain transactions void under the old, pre-1992 clause (a) of §42 — it does not rescue an SC/ST-to-non-member sale. So the seller's community is a first-order check, not a footnote.

How much may you hold — the ceiling

You may buy, but you may not keep unlimited agricultural land: the Rajasthan Imposition of Ceiling on Agricultural Holdings Act 1973 caps a family's holding, and Section 4 sets the limits by land class for a family of five or fewer — 18 acres of land with assured irrigation giving two crops a year, 27 acres with assured irrigation for one crop, 48 acres in the fertile zone, 54 acres in the semi-fertile, hilly or orchard classes, 125 acres in the semi-desert zone, and 175 acres in the desert zone. A family of more than five may hold more, up to twice the ceiling. These figures are from the Act itself; a buyer assembling land should compute the ceiling for the class before, not after.

• Assured irrigation, two crops/year: 18 acres.
• Assured irrigation, one crop/year: 27 acres.
• Fertile zone: 48 acres.
• Semi-fertile / hilly / orchard: 54 acres.
• Semi-desert: 125 acres · Desert: 175 acres.
• Family of more than five: up to twice the ceiling.

If you want to build, must you convert?

Yes. Buying the khatedari lets you own the land; it does not let you use it for a house, shop or factory. Section 90-A of the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956 provides that no one holding land for agriculture, and no transferee of such land, may use it for a non-agricultural purpose "except with the written permission of the State Government" obtained in the prescribed manner (with a premium and urban assessment payable). Section 90B — the old urban-conversion provision — is now omitted; conversion runs through §90A and its rural (2007) and urban (2012) Rules. The conversion guide carries the mechanics; the point here is that purchase and permission are two separate gates.

What about foreign nationals and NRIs?

That is a different body of law. Acquisition of agricultural land by a foreign national or, in most cases, an NRI is restricted under FEMA — central law that sits outside the Rajasthan Tenancy Act — so the permissive Rajasthan position above is about resident Indian buyers. An NRI or foreign buyer must clear the FEMA question separately, and we do not treat it here without its own verification. Our NRI cluster covers the FEMA bar on agricultural land in detail.