J&K SEEKS REVIEW OF ROSHNI ACT, PLEA ADJOURNED TO DECEMBER 16

JAMMU: In a U-turn, the J&K administration has sought a review of October 9 high court judgment that had declared the 2001 J&K State Land (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act (Roshni Act) null and void. The HC on Monday adjourned the main PIL as well as review petition filed by the J&K government to December 16. In its October 9 order, the HC had also ordered a CBI probe and directed the government to cancel all mutations of state lands under the Act, and work out modalities to evict encroachers from such land and retrieve it within six months. Following the order, the administration was uploading the names of “encroachers” on government website. These names included those of NC president Farooq Abdullah, party vice-president Omar Abdullah, Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, PDP leader Haseeb Drabu, and politicians from Congress.

On December 4, the administration, through special secretary (revenue) Nazir Ahmad Thakur, filed a review petition before the high court.

While Thakur refused to comment on the development, the petition has sought to distinguish between “landless cultivators and individuals residing in dwellings on small areas” and “rich and wealthy land grabbers” who obtained title over state land via provisions of the “unconstitutional” Act. BJP’s chief spokesman and HC lawyer Sunil Sethi said, “a review has been sought by the government of its judgement so as to insulate landless farmers, who were given proprietary rights of small land holdings”.

ON DECEMBER 4, ADMN, THROUGH SPECIAL SECY (REVENUE) , FILED A REVIEW PETITION BEFORE THE HC