PTUN Serang Rejects Rancapinang Villagers' Land Rights Lawsuit

A lawsuit filed by six residents of Rancapinang Village, Cimanggu District, Pandeglang Regency, Banten, challenging the issuance of a land use rights certificate (SHP) Number 1/2012 in the name of the Ministry of Defense, has been declared inadmissible by the Serang State Administrative Court (PTUN Serang). The decision, recorded in the PTUN Serang Case Information Search System (SIPP) on August 6, 2026, dismissed the case filed under number 10/G/2026/PTUN.SRG. The court ruled that the plaintiffs' lawsuit was not receivable and ordered them to pay court costs amounting to Rp7,599,000. Abdul Rohim Marbun, a public lawyer from LBH Jakarta and legal counsel for the Rancapinang residents, criticized the panel of judges, stating they failed to grasp the substance of the case. He argued that the case is an administrative dispute concerning the actions of a government body or official, specifically the Head of the Pandeglang Land Office, who issued the SHP without clear evidence of acquisition during the trial. Marbun further stated that there was no evidence to demonstrate a sale and purchase between the community and PT Mandirinusa Grahaperkasa (MGP), which would indicate the company's land swap (ruislag) with the Indonesian Army (TNI-AD). "This verdict reflects the failure of the judicial institution that has the authority to examine and resolve administrative disputes over the actions of government bodies or officials," Marbun told Mongabay on Monday, August 10, 2026. The dispute involves approximately 364 hectares of land in Rancapinang Village claimed under the government's SHP. The six plaintiffs—Tajudin, Masdoni, Rohani, Hamjah, Marki, and Mista—assert that they and their families have controlled and managed the land for generations for agricultural and plantation purposes. During the trial, the residents questioned, among other things, the lack of evidence for the relinquishment of land rights.