Yes — and the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act 1988 as comprehensively amended in 2016 provides a significantly more powerful framework for this than existed before. A benami transaction is one where property is registered in the name of one person (the benamidar) but the consideration was paid by another (the real beneficial owner) — and such arrangements are unlawful, potentially leading to confiscation of the property by the Government.

The 2016 amendment established a four-tier administrative structure — Initiating Officer, Approving Authority, Adjudicating Authority, and Appellate Tribunal — with powers to investigate, provisionally attach, and ultimately confiscate benami properties. If you have evidence of a benami transaction involving Patna property — whether in Rajendra Nagar, Bailey Road, or anywhere else in the city — a complaint before the Benami Transactions Prohibition Unit (BTPU) of the Income Tax Department can trigger investigation and provisional attachment. The Adjudicating Authority, after hearing both sides, can order permanent confiscation, with the property vesting in the Central Government. This is a powerful remedy but one whose consequence is state confiscation rather than return to the beneficial owner — making it most appropriate where the objective is to challenge and penalise an unlawful arrangement rather than to recover the asset personally.

For the beneficial owner trying to recover the property — the person whose money funded the purchase — the legal position is more restricted. Section 4 of the Act bars the beneficial owner from filing a civil suit to recover the benami property in their own name, and this limitation has been confirmed by the Supreme Court. The practical route and the realistic prospects depend entirely on the documentary evidence available: bank records tracing the payment from the beneficial owner, written acknowledgments, witness testimony, and any communications that establish the true ownership arrangement. This is a complex and fact-specific area, and the property and tax law advocates at the Patna panel of Aapka Legal Advice can assess your specific position before any step is taken.