A subject; a tenant, a cultivating tenant, a farmer, a cultivator. [Mitra’s Legal & Commercial Dictionary]

A subject, but especially applied to the agricultural population, a cultivator, farmer, a peasant. [P Ramanatha Aiyer’s The Law Lexicon]

“Raiyat” means a person who, by virtue of section 44 or otherwise has acquired a right to hold land directly under the Government mainly for the purpose of cultivating it by himself or by members of his family or by, or with the aid of, servants or labourers or with the aid of partners or bargadars, and includes also the successors-in-interest of persons who have acquired such a right. [Section 82(2) of the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act, 1950]

The family of a raiyat includes all persons living in the same mess with him and dependent upon him but does not include any servant or labourar. [Section 82(3) of the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act, 1950]

The word “raiyat” occurring in section 87(1) means the raiyat as defined in section 82 (2). [18 DLR 276]

Raiyat and tenant to be known as malik in view of Sec.82(8) of the SAT Act, after coming into force of Part V. [Haladhar Dutta vs. Abdul Rob Chowdhury 36 DLR 193]

Raiyat also used in connection with words like “Non-occupancy-raiyat”, “Occupancy-raiyat”, “Settled raiyat”, “Under-raiyat” etc.

Cultivating raiyat- “cultivating raiyat” or “cultivating under-raiyat” means a raiyat or an under-raiyat, as the case may be, who holds land by cultivating it either by himself or by members of his family or by servants or by bargadars or by or with the aid of hired labourers or with the aid of partners. [Section 2(9) of State Acquisition and Tenancy Act, 1950]