The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has directed the Indian Army to pay rent to landowners in Sopore for nearly three acres of land, including a section that was never formally requisitioned but was rendered unusable after being blocked by military security barriers.
Upholding an earlier trial court decision, Justice Sanjay Dhar ruled that the military must compensate the owners at rates established by the local rent assessment committee. The land, spanning approximately 23 kanals and 14 marlas (nearly three acres), is located in the Jalalabad area of Sopore.
Access Restrictions Trigger Compensation Dispute
The legal dispute centered on the exact footprint of the Army’s occupation. While the military contended that it had formally requisitioned only 0.75 acres (six kanals and six marlas), the landowners argued they were denied access to the remaining portion of their property. The court heard that the Army had cordoned off the unrequisitioned land with concertina wire for security purposes, effectively blocking the owners from using it.
Justice Dhar affirmed that while the official requisition only covered the smaller portion, the Army’s security measures had completely deprived the owners of the rest of the plot. As a result, the court declared that the Army is legally obligated to pay rent for the remaining 17 kanals and eight marlas. This compensation must be calculated based on the same rates applied to the officially requisitioned parcel.
History Of The Site
The land was originally taken over by the Border Security Force (BSF), which later transferred custody to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Army subsequently assumed control of the property from the CRPF in 2011. The landowners filed the suit after receiving no rental payments from the Army for its occupation of the site.
