On October 26, the ministry of home affairs introduced sweeping changes to land laws in Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Territory of Jammu and...
On October 26, the ministry of home affairs introduced sweeping changes to land laws in Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Adaptation of State Laws) Fifth Order, 2020, repealed 12 state laws, including historic land reforms laws, and amended 14 other laws, some of which deal with the sale and purchase of land in Jammu and Kashmir.
It officially ends the protections on land rights guaranteed under Article 35A, repealed on August 5 last year. The law was intended to protect the distinct identity and culture of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It had empowered the government of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir to define “permanent residents” of the state and reserve certain rights for them. That included the right to own land in Jammu and Kashmir. People from outside the former state were barred from buying land there under the old regime. The term “permanent residents” has now been struck off all existing statutes.
The new changes apply only to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and not to Ladakh, which became a separate Union Territory after August 5. As part of the former state of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh had also been...
