Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 3: High Court has directed for compliance report with regard to payment of rentals and financial liabilities from 2023 to handing over of Tattoo Ground within two weeks.
The Court after hearing the counsel representing Union of India said the communication of the Directorate of Defense Estate is partial compliance of earlier court order.
The Directorate, Defense Estates, Northern Command, Govt of India, Ministry of Defense vide its communication has issued a direction to the concerned authority to release the cash assignment of Rs. 23,02,571 by placing the same at the disposal of the DEO Srinagar
TM Shamsi, Deputy Solicitor General of India, submitted that the amount could not be deposited, as there was no specific direction by this Court in that regard.
“The issuance of the communication, however, is partial compliance of the order dated 29th April, 2026, whereby the amount, though released by way of cash assignment, has not yet been deposited”, the court said.
The court directed him to deposit the amount before the Registry of this Court within a period of three weeks and subject to deposit of the amount before the Registry of this Court, the respondent-Union Territory of J&K, shall also file a status report with regard to the payment of rentals and financial liability arising beyond the year 2023 up to the date of handing over of Tattoo Ground to the petitioners, within a period of two weeks thereafter.
As per the compliance report filed by the Defense Estate Officer, Kashmir, Circle Srinagar on 13th of April, 2026, it has been stated that the matter was examined in terms of order dated 26th of February, 2026, passed by this Court in a meeting of Senior Officers of the Ministry of Defence and Home Department, Government of J&K, under the chairmanship of the Defence Secretary on 24th of March, 2026.
Certain decisions were taken in the said meeting including rental liability up to 2023 which shall be borne by the Ministry of Defence in respect of the suit land upto 2023 i.e. the date of handing over of Tattoo ground to the UT Administration.
Another decision was that liability beyond 2023 shall be borne by the UT Administration, since it is their liability to provide encumbrance free Equal Value land in lieu of Defence land at Tattoo Ground with effect from the date of handing over of Tattoo Ground to the state Government.
“No liability of any kind whatsoever with regard to the entire land of 100 acres at Sharifabad shall attach to the MOD beyond 2023 and in case the suit land is required to be requisitioned or acquired, the responsibility, including financial implications shall vest with the UT Administration”, read the decision.
The other decision in the meeting was that the UT administration may take requisite steps at the earliest for transfer of ownership and mutation of the entire 100 acres of land in favour of MOD apart from balance EVL against Tattoo Ground.
In view of the status report and the decision taken by the Ministry of Defence in collaboration with the UT administration of J&K, the court had directed the respondent-Union of India to deposit the rentals in respect of the petitioners’ land up to the year 2023, i.e., the date of handing over of Tattoo Ground to the UT Administration after completion of formalities required by the concerned officers and report the court with regard to the said exercise.
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