Srinagar:Renowned Kashmiri advocate Abdul Qayoom Dar on Thursday slammed a media report in a local daily accusing him of 'grabbing at gunpoint' by '159 Kanals of temple land' in Jammu Kashmir using 'fraudulent means'. The story in question, is in reference to a raid by J&K police at four places in Srinagar, in connection to the assassination of Advocate Babar Qadri which took place back in 2019.
One among said residences belongs to advocate Abdul Qayoom Dar, popularly known as Miyan Qayoom in Kashmir, while the other two are of Muzaffar Ahmed and Manzoor Ahmed Dar. The article, citing police sources, claimed that "incriminating documents seized also include those about more than 159 kanal of land of temples allegedly grabbed through coercive and fraudulent means at gunpoint by Mian Qayoom."
In a letter, Dar later on Thursday alleged that the claim was totally "false, untrue and baseless and is clearly aimed at to tarnish my image in the public," warning also to take the legal route against the report.
"...the report is totally false, untrue and baseless and is clearly aimed to tarnish my image in the public. Propriety demands that before publishing the news, you should have, at least, verified the facts from me but unfortunately you did not do so and straightway published the news, which has harmed my reputation irreparably" Qayoom said in the document.
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Explaining that he was among a total of 130 legal inheritors of the 159 Kanals (indigenous area-measurement scale) of land in Barzulla belonging to Mandar Ragunath in question, Dar further said that he alongside his brothers and sister possessed 6 Kanals and 10 Marlas of land inherited from their father, with each person getting 1 Kanal and 12 Marla post-distribution.
"I, along with my brothers and sister are only in possession of 6 Kanals and 10 Marlas of land which we have inherited from our father. Before my father, my grandfather was in possession of the aforesaid 6 Kanals and 10 Marlas of land. These 6 Kanals and 10 Marlas of land stand mutated in my name and in the name of my brothers and sister in 2010 and each one of us has got 1 Kanal and 12 Marlas of the said land." he said.
Noting that the entirety of the land was subject to a legal battle in response to an eviction notice served by the Divisonal Commissioner, Srinagar, the advocate said the Jammu and Kashmir & Ladakh High Court had directed respondents "not to cause any interference" in the tennants' possession.
"In the revenue records, the land is recorded in our name as “Protected Tenants” and this position continues for the last two hundred years. Some time back, the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir Srinagar, in terms of order dated October 16, 2019, while setting aside the mutation of ownership of the said land attested in favour of one Vijay Sharma and his brother, who are residents of Jammu, as its owners, also ordered the eviction of all the 130 tenants from the said land.
The said order dated October 16, 2019 has not only been challenged by Vijay Sharma and his brother before the Hon'ble High Court but by us and other tenants as well and the Hon'ble Court in our case, has been pleased to direct the respondents not to cause any interference in our possession. All the writ petitions are still pending in the Hon'ble High Court and the final verdict of the Court is awaited," Dar said.
