Lego Karjoko (1), Nabila Rahma Safitri (2), Ravi Danendra (3)
Land ownership conflicts in Indonesia frequently emerge in plantation regions when local communities cultivate land in fact while corporations assert formal legal control over the same land. This situation generates agrarian disputes that expose structural tensions between the formal land certification regime and long-established patterns of community land use. This study examines the philosophical orientation underlying judicial reasoning in adjudicating disputes concerning Land Use Rights held by PT Perkebunan Nusantara Persero and evaluates the degree of legal protection granted to communities that cultivate land without formal certificates. The research applies a normative legal method through statutory and case approaches. The study relies on primary and secondary legal materials gathered through systematic literature review and analyzes them using deductive reasoning and interpretative analysis. The findings demonstrate that judicial panels in five cases placed primary emphasis on formal legal certainty by prioritizing documentary evidence of title and by disregarding factual realities related to community cultivation. This approach directs adjudication toward procedural compliance and limits consideration of substantive justice and social utility. The analysis further shows that the legal system has not provided adequate protection for affected communities. Effective preventive protection requires clearer regulatory arrangements governing land control by communities and state-owned enterprises. Effective repressive protection requires judges to assess both formal documentation and material evidence in a balanced manner. The study concludes that current judicial practice has not achieved equitable legal protection for communities engaged in cultivated land use.
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Mairizal, Gilang Ardi Pratama, Yudi Maulana and Syahreen Nurmutia, ‘Modeling the Causal Relationships among Barriers to Geothermal Power Plant Investment in Indonesia: A Fuzzy Delphi and DEMATEL Approach’, Unconventional Resources, 11 (2026), 100327 <https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.uncres.2026.100327>
McCarthy, John F, Ahmad Dhiaulhaq, Suraya Afiff and Kathryn Robinson, ‘Land Reform Rationalities and Their Governance Effects in Indonesia: Provoking Land Politics or Addressing Adverse Formalisation?’, Geoforum, 132 (2022), 92–102 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2022.04.008>
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Putri, Devina Widya and Sugie Lee, ‘Urban Environmental Factors Influencing Commuter Line Ridership in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area, Indonesia’, Journal of Transport Geography, 128 (2025), 104336 <https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2025.104336>
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Slavchevska, Vanya, Muriel Veldman, Clara Mi Young Park, Veronica Boero, Leman Yonca Gurbuzer and Annarita Macchioni Giaquinto, ‘From Law to Practice: A Cross-Country Assessment of Gender Inequalities in Rights to Land’, Global Food Security, 45 (2025), 100852 <https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2025.100852>
Sokoy, Fredrik, ‘Social Conflict between the Amungme and Kamoro Traditional Tribe and Freeport Indonesia Company on Environmental Impact’, Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 13 (2026), 102432 <https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.102432>
Tiasmalomo, Riska, Muslim Salam, Hari Iswoyo, Muhammad Hatta Jamil, A Nixia Tenriawaru, Rahmansyah Dermawan, and others, ‘The Sustainability Status of Cut Rose Farming in Batu City: Uncovering Data and Facts from Indonesia’s Largest Cut Rose Producing City’, Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 28 (2025), 100899 <https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2025.100899>
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Wicaksono, Arditya, Rosita Novi Andari, Ulfa Sevia Azni, Reza Amarta Prayoga, Intan Hapsari Surya Putri, Eko Wahyono, and others, ‘Actor Collaboration in the Implementation of Business Licensing Integrated with the Land Use Framework: Indonesian Case Study’, Urban Governance, 2025 <https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ugj.2025.10.003>
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