Agricultural use under urban land ceiling law turns on actual dominant use, not revenue records or the master plan.

Land within an urban agglomeration is excluded from urban land status under the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 only if it is mainly used for agriculture; the statutory meaning of "agriculture" is limited, and revenue records or the master plan are not conclusive. Because the material showed the land was being used for a brick kiln, with only a small portion used otherwise, it was not mainly agricultural in character. The land therefore remained available for ceiling computation, and the High Court's view that it was exempt was incorrect.

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Issues: (i) Whether land situated within an urban agglomeration, but entered in revenue records and the master plan as agricultural land, ceased to be urban land because it was said to be mainly used for agricultural purposes.

Analysis: The statutory scheme under Section 2 of the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 shows that land within an urban agglomeration is excluded from the definition of urban land only if it is mainly used for agriculture. The expression "agriculture" has a limited meaning under the Explanation to Section 2(o) and does not cover every use of land merely because it is described as agricultural in records. The land records and the master plan were not conclusive. The material on record showed that the land was being used for running a brick kiln, with only a small portion being used otherwise. Such use was inconsistent with the land being mainly used for agricultural purposes.

Conclusion: The land was not mainly used for agricultural purposes and could be taken into account for ceiling determination under the Act. The High Court's view that it was exempt was incorrect.

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