Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 21: Division Bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sanjay Dhar has impleaded RB Educational Trust as party respondent in the much publicized Public Interest Litigation highlighting encroachment of land by politicians, bureaucrats and police officers in connivance with land mafia.
While allowing an application filed by Kanta Andotra, wife of ex-MP Ch Lal Singh and Chairperson of RB Educational Trust Kathua, the Division Bench, after hearing Senior Advocate P N Raina with Advocates Asheesh Singh Kotwal and J A Hamal appearing for RB Educational Trust through virtual mode whereas Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed with Advocates Sheikh Najeeb Ashraf and Mohd Zulkarnain Chowdhary appearing for the petitioner, granted three weeks time to the newly impleaded respondent to file counter affidavit to the writ petition.
The Division Bench also issued notice to the petitioner which was accepted through virtual mode by Advocate S S Ahmed who resisted the prayer made in the application on the ground that RB Educational Trust is not required to be heard in the PIL.
The Division Bench, however, allowed the prayer, made in the application and impleaded the RB Educational Trust as respondent on the ground that Trust is a necessary party.
In the instant PIL both the Divisional Commissioners have filed voluminous compilations confirming therein the encroachment of 20 lakh kanals of land in J&K and the compilations also contain the district-wise encroachments with full particulars of the illegal occupants.
The Division Bench has time and again issued directions to the Government to come out with a mechanism so that the encroached land is retrieved. However, so far only poor and nomads have been targeted whereas the sharks have been spared.
Follow our WhatsApp channel