Govt seizes former BJP minister’s property under Roshni Act

Jammu, Jan 18: The Jammu & Kashmir administration seized the ancestral property of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister, Bali Bhagat in Kishtwar district.
As per the order undersigned by Tehsildar Kishtwar, the property including a 3-storey building on 8 kanal and 6 marlas of land, has been seized under the Roshni Act.
As per the order, the land, registered under mutation numbers 1997 and 2379, fell under the Roshni Act and was linked to individuals, including Bali Bhagat. Despite multiple notices to vacate from the District Administration Kishtwar, the concerned individuals reportedly neglected them, it said.
As a result, a team from the Revenue Department was assigned to seize the premises, which also houses the paramedical college, now sealed by the district administration, it added.
The order noted that several notices were ignored by the individuals which led to the seizure of the 3-storey property along with the land.
Roshni Act, also known as the Jammu and Kashmir State Land (Vesting of Ownership to Occupants) Act, 2001, was established during Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah’s government in 2001.
The law aimed to grant ownership of Jammu and Kashmir state lands to unauthorized occupants to raise funds for power projects.
In November 2020, the Union Territory administration declared the Roshni Act as “null and void” following a J&K High Court order for a CBI investigation into a Rs 25,000 crore land scam.