Another story of the struggle of Kashmiri Pandits who fled the Valley during the violence of 1989-90 has come to the fore. People who have been fighting for their homes for decades have filed petitions in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The petitioners say that even after years, they have not been able to get the right to the property purchased from the deposit.
The names of many Kashmiri Pandits, including Moti Lal Kharu, are included in the petitioners. These people had bought 200 to 300 square yards of land in Bahadurgarh with their savings. In Kharu’s case, his plot was acquired and released on request. But they have not been able to get the right again even after 30 years. Due to this he moved the High Court. A total of 14 writ petitions were filed in the matter.
Kharu, who reached the High Court through advocate Padmakant Dwivedi, has sought contempt proceedings against Haryana Urban Development Authority’s Chief Administrator Ajit Balaji Joshi and other respondents. Justice BS Walia has fixed April 5 for further hearing.
Justice Walia was told that the necessary procedures have been completed, but his case has been ‘objected’ for the absence of conversion in favor of the HSVP. He has prepared a list of 188 plot holders. Even after this the purchased plots were not handed over to them. Dwivedi told the court that while hearing one of the 14 petitions in August 2020, the Division Bench had ordered that the petitioners be included in the draw on the terrain for the time being, but it would not confer any justifiable right in their favour. .
Dwivedi said that the respondents were fully aware of the interim order and had filed a written order in this regard. But he had on March 25 sent the list of members involved in the draw for allotting part of the land to Kashmiri Pandits to the President of the Resident Welfare Association of Displaced Kashmiri Pandit Plot Holders.