The Supreme Court asked the Jammu & Kashmir High Court to hear the review pleas of more than 20 people who claimed to be genuine land-owners hit by a recent HC decision to strike down the Roshni Act.
What is Roshni Act?
The Jammu and Kashmir State Land (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act, 2001 is also known as Roshni Act.
It was to give ownership to people in possession of state land, with a cut-off of 1990, and against a payment as determined by the government.
As the aim was to generate resources for hydroelectric power projects, it was called Roshni (Light) Act.
The government gave free ownership rights on agricultural land to farmers occupying it, who only needed to pay Rs 100 per kanal of land as documentation fee.
1 Kanal = 505.857 Square meter
Why it became controversial?
Illegal allocation and transfer of land to private parties
Biasedness towards one community
Changed the demographic profile
Corruption
What did the High Court say?
In October 2020, the High Court declared the Roshni Act “illegal, unconstitutional and unsustainable” and held allotments under the Act as void ab initio.
It ordered a CBI probe into transfer of ownership, sought action against bureaucrats involved.
It asked the government to make public the names of prominent people allotted land.
