Srinagar: In the long-pending land acquisition dispute involving thousands of kanals of land belonging to farmers in Budgam district currently under Army possession, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has warned of coercive measures against officers responsible for non-filing of a satisfactory reply.
Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi, who heard the plea filed by the farmers, sought detailed responses within three weeks from the Union of India and other authorities.
The farmers, whose land has been under Army possession for several decades, have sought either proper compensation or quashing of acquisition proceedings related to 3,764 kanals and 13 marlas of land located in the villages of Karewa Damodhar, Wathora and Kralpora.
The petitioners also sought directions for vacation of their land and compensation for what they termed as “illegal occupation” by the Army.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioners submitted that the matter has already seen multiple rounds of litigation. He pointed out that in December 2003, the High Court had disposed of an earlier petition titled Zamindaran Committee Karewa vs State of J&K, directing the respondents to de-requisition the property within three months and proceed under the provisions of the J&K Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property Act, 1968.
The court had also allowed the authorities to reconsider acquisition if the Central Government issued a decision within the stipulated period.
The Union of India challenged the 2003 order through a Letters Patent Appeal, which was dismissed in July 2009. Subsequently, a Special Leave Petition filed before the Supreme Court was also dismissed in December 2009.
Despite these directions, the orders in favour of the farmers were not implemented, forcing them to again approach the High Court in 2024.
In April 2025, the High Court granted the authorities reasonable time to act while permitting aggrieved landowners to file fresh petitions if delays in compensation continued. In a subsequent petition, the court directed the Union of India to complete the required steps in the matter within six months.
However, the petitioners informed the court that no concrete action had been taken even after expiry of the timeline, prompting the present proceedings.
The Deputy Solicitor General of India submitted a status report, but the court found it unsatisfactory. The court granted three weeks to the Union of India and other respondents to file a comprehensive reply. The state authorities were also granted similar time, with the court warning that coercive measures would be initiated against responsible officers if replies are not filed.
The dispute also involves valuation concerns. The petitioners contested the compensation rates, citing reports that land in the area was valued at around Rs 50–60 lakh per kanal in 2024, whereas earlier proposals by the Defence Estates Department reportedly assessed the value at Rs 18–21 lakh per kanal.
The case highlights a prolonged legal battle over requisitioned land, compensation and the rights of the farmers and other Zamindaran landowners. The matter is expected to come up again after filing of responses by the authorities.
