J&K authorities release list of land beneficiaries under ‘illegal’ Roshni Act

Srinagar: The J&K administration has released the list of beneficiaries of the controversial Roshni Act across the Union Territory. Divisional commissioners in Kashmir and Jammu regularly review the progress on cancellation of mutations of land transferred under the Roshni Act in the districts and have directed the deputy commissioners to submit details at the earliest. They have also directed final verification of the influential people who have benefitted from the Act, so that the names can be made public.

The J&K High Court has declared Roshni Act “illegal, unconstitutional and unsustainable” and a CBI probe has been ordered into the allotment of land under this law. CBI has registered four cases in this regard so far.

Several high-profile politicians, businessmen, bureaucrats and police officials have been allotted land under the Jammu and Kashmir State Land (Vesting of Ownership to the Occupants) Act, 2001, popularly known as the Roshni Act.


The list of beneficiaries includes former finance minister of J&K, Haseeb Drabu, and his family members, according to officials. Drabu was the People’s Democratic Party’s main interlocutor who helped stitch the PDP-BJP alliance in J&K in 2015. After the death of the PDP founder Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, Drabu was removed from the Cabinet and later he resigned from the party as well.

According to the government’s list of beneficiaries, Drabu and his three relatives own four kanals of land in Gogji Bagh area of Srinagar, registered in their name under the Roshni Act, said officials. One kanal equals 605 square yards.

Similarly, prominent businessman KK Amla, who was associated with Congress, and his three relatives own 14 kanals of land on Residency Road and in Rajbagh areas of central Srinagar, registered under the Roshni Act. Another prominent hotelier, Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya, has nine kanals of land in Gogji Bagh area registered under the Act. Former bureaucrat Muhammad Shafi Pandit and his wife own two kanals of land in Gogji Bagh area while former bureaucrat Tanveer Jahan owns one kanal of land in Rajbagh, transferred under the Roshini Act.

Eleven relatives of Shahdad family own about 18 kanals of land in Zaldagar area of Srinagar under the Roshni Act. Besides, 7.15 kanals of land of Khidmat Trust of Congress on Residency Road and 3.16 kanals of Nawai Subh Trust of the National Conference are registered with the owners under the Act.

In 2009, the State Vigilance Commission had registered a first information report against Baseer Ahmad Khan, the current advisor to the J&K lieutenant governor, and others for the alleged misuse of their official positions for the illegal transfer of government land in Gulmarg to private persons in violation of the Roshni Act.

In Jammu, a business family of Gagu Ram own 38.5 kanals of land under the Roshni Act in Bahu, Chowadhi area. Similarly, CL Gulati and Sons own 3.9 kanals of land under Roshni Act on BC Road. Several other influential persons in Jammu are under the scanner as well.

Under Roshni Act about 2.06 million kanals of land was to be transferred to the existing occupants that would have generated revenue of about ₹25,448 crore, which would be invested in the power sector of J&K. The total land approved for the transfer was about 604,602 kanals — 571,210 kanals in Jammu and 33,392 kanals in Kashmir.

However, as per a CAG report in 2014, only ₹76.24 crore was realised in the actual transfer of 348,160 kanals of land in J&K against the demand of ₹317.54 crore. The beneficiaries in Kashmir paid ₹54.05 crore out of ₹123.49 crore while in Jammu the beneficiaries paid ₹22.40 crore out of ₹194.06 crore.

Former J&K governor Satya Pal Malik had repealed the Roshni Act in 2018. But HC declared the Act null and void in October.