SRINAGAR: In a new development related to the Roshni Land issue, a Supreme Court Bench, consisting of Justices M M Sundresh and SVN Bhatti, have dismissed the claim made by Mohammad Ramzan Bhat about the possession of a piece of land at Gogji Bagh, Srinagar, regularized in 1978. The Supreme Court bench has directed him to pay the actual market value of the land as it was in 2019, along with interest up to the current date.
Jammu-based newspaper Daily Excelsior reported that the direction was passed in a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by JK UT Government against the verdict of Division Bench of JK High Court in a case pertaining to land of Amigos Restaurant in Gogji Bagh area of Srinagar.
The Division Bench of J&K High Court had directed the UT Government to execute documents of ownership in favour of the encroacher at the rate prevailing on date of original regularization in the year 1978, which was Rs 95,000 for the prime land, newspaper reported.
Rushab Aggarwal, Standing Counsel for the UT, contended that the High Court’s judgment overlooked the fact that the petitioner was a repeat land grabber. Furthermore, it failed to consider that the petitioner had previously claimed inability to pay the initial demand.
