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The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently asked the State Government of Haryana to re-look into the issue of allotment of residential plots to the displaced Kashmiri Pandits and to come up with a concrete policy for the purpose.

Referring to the rehabilitation process for the people who came to India post-partition and got rehabilitated in different districts of the then composite Punjab with property allotted to them in terms of the property left behind by them in Pakistan, on verified claims, the bench of Justice Amol Rattan Singh and Justice Lalit Batra said, 

"The Government of Haryana may look into the issue from that angle to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits who were displaced from their ancestral homes in Kashmir due to terrorism".

Court further noted, "For 30 years, the matter of allotting plots to them has been hanging one way or the other for some reason or the other."

Court was hearing a batch of 14 writ petitions seeking allotment of residential plots to Kashmiri Pandits. The petitioners had also sought a stay on the draw of lots for allotment of plots in Haryana's Bahadurgarh which was to be held on April 6, 2022. 

The petitioners had alleged that due to the deteriorating situation in Kashmir in 1989-90, they decided to leave purchased plots in Haryana's Bahadurgarh, however, the possession of the same hasn't been delivered to them even after 30 years.

While permitting the draw of lots for allotment of plots in Haryana's Bahadurgarh, Court directed, 

"With the draw of lots to continue by including all those petitioners who are genuinely found to be displaced Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu & Kashmir due to terrorism, the allotment after draw of lots shall not be finalized till the Government of Haryana comes up with a concrete policy keeping in view the observations made hereinabove, in a very sympathetic manner."

Further, Court clarified that those who would be included in the draw of lots would be all such persons who applied for being so included and have been verified to be genuinely displaced Kashmiri Pandits.

Case Title: Ramesh Razdan And Others V/S State of Haryana and Others and connected matters