(1) Any cultivating tenant who has been evicted from any land on or after 20th December, 1961, may, if the land from which he was evicted was in the possession of the proprietor, titleholder or grantee make an application to the Collector within six months from the appointed date for restoration of such land on the ground that he was evicted from such land without any reasonable excuse.
(2) On receipt of such application or suo-motu, the Collector or any Officer appointed by the Government in this behalf, may make such enquiry as he thinks fit.
(3) If, on such enquiry, the Collector is satisfied that such a cultivating tenant was in possession of that land on or after 20th December, 1961, and that he was evicted there from by the proprietor, title-holder or grantee thereof, on any ground other than the grounds specified in sub-section (4), he may order restoration of such land to the cultivating tenant, or direct the proprietor, title-holder or grantee, to pay such compensation to him as the Collector may deem appropriate in the circumstances of the case.
(4) The grounds referred to in sub-section (3) are the following:—
(a) the cultivating tenant had failed to pay rent to the proprietor;
(b) the cultivating tenant had failed to cultivate the land personally;
(c) the cultivating tenant had unlawfully sub-let the land;
(d) the cultivating tenant had done any act which was permanently injurious or destructive to the land.