The question is based on the following passage : The permanent settlement vested the land ownership right in the zamindars, who previously enjoyed only revenue collecting rights. Therefore, those who lost out in this settlement were the peasants, who were left at the mercy of the zamindars. The customary occupancy right was ignored and they were reduced to the status of tenants. The provision of patta, or written agreement between the peasant and the zamindar providing a record of the amount of rent to be paid, was rarely followed by the zamindars. Nor was it liked by the peasants who always feared to lose in any formal record of rights and obligations, The burden of high revenue assessment was thus shifted to the peasants, who were often also called upon to pay illegal cesses. The subsequent regulations of 1799 and 1812 gave the zamindars the right to seize property of the tenants in case of non-payment of rent without any permission of a court of law. It is no wonder, therefore, that as a cumulative effect of this support to the coercive power of the zamindars, the condition of the actual cultivators declined under the Permanent Settlement. According to the passage, the permanent settlement vested ;

According to the provided passage, the Permanent Settlement vested land ownership rights in the zamindars, who previously only held revenue-collecting rights. This transformation converted them into landlords with hereditary and transferable rights over the land [3]. Under this system, the zamindars were recognized as the legal owners, while the peasants were reduced to the status of tenants at the mercy of these landlords [3]. The state fixed the land revenue demand permanently, and the zamindars were responsible for paying this fixed amount to the government [1]. Consequently, the customary occupancy rights of the peasants were ignored, and the burden of high revenue assessments was shifted onto them, often accompanied by illegal cesses and coercive measures for rent collection [4]. This shift in ownership from the state or the cultivator to the zamindar was a defining feature of the 1793 regulation [2].

Sources

1. [1] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 17: Effects of British Rule > 17.2 Land Tenures: Permanent Settlement and Ryotwari Settlement > p. 266
2. [3] Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 5: Land Reforms > Features: > p. 191
3. [2] Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 10: Land Reforms in India > 1. Zamindari System (Permanent Settlement) > p. 337
4. [4] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 31: Peasant Movements 1857-1947 > Pabna Agrarian Leagues > p. 576