DB directs to compile details, contemplate & file policy decision

Religious structures on encroached land in J&K, Ladakh

STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: A Division Bench of J&K High Court comprising Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Puneet Gupta on Wednesday directed Divisional Commissioners of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh to obtain a report from all the Deputy Commissioners of all the illegal religious encroachments including details of their location, area encroached and the encroachers.
The court direction came in a suo-moto Public Interest Litigation regarding those illegal religious structures which have come up by way of encroachment on public land i.e public streets, public parks and public places.
The DB further observed that the aforesaid information shall be compiled within six weeks from today. “This information shall be placed before the Chief Secretaries of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, who shall cause the matter to be considered by all the concerned and competent authorities and a policy decision be taken and the same shall be placed before us before the next date of hearing”, the court observed.
Advocate T. M. Shamsi, ASGI, accepted notice on behalf of Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh and B. A. Dar, Sr. AAG, on behalf of the Chief Secretary of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

DB also asked the Registrar General of this Court to take steps for obtaining the copy of the Miscellaneous Application No. 2166 of 2018, SLP (C) No. 8519/2006 titled Union of India versus The State of Gujarat and others, and other relevant documents from the Supreme Court of India before the next date of hearing.
DB further observed that it appears that a separate PIL may have been registered in the Jammu Wing of this Court with regard to encroachment of religious structures in Jammu province. The Registrar General shall consolidate the PIL which may have been registered in the Jammu Wing for hearing with the present PIL.