Encroachment of land of Srinagar's Raghunath Mandir: Govt to set up panel to manage temple affairs [details]

After starting the restoration work of the centuries-old-Raghunath temple in Srinagar city, the Jammu and Kashmir Government has asked the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar to constitute a four-member committee of government officials for running the management of the historic temple property at Barzulla.

Commissioner Agrarian Reforms Shaleen Kabra has ordered that the committee should comprise an officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner or Sub Divisional Magistrate or above as the head along with the District Treasury Officer, Tehsildar concerned and any other government official to be chosen by the Deputy Commissioner for the management of the temple property.

Besides directing Deputy Commissioner Srinagar to constitute a committee, the Commissioner Agrarian Reforms asked the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir to file a detailed status report along with his recommendations concerning encroachments and illegal entries made in the revenue records of the property of the temple within 15 days.

The Commissioner Agrarian Reforms passed this order while dismissing a review petition filed regarding the temple property measuring 159-kanal and 10 marlas and 192 feet.

Manager Raghunath Temple Barzulla Vijay Sharma had filed the petition seeking a review of the order dated October 16, 2019, passed by the Financial Commissioner under which his petition challenging the cancellation of mutation of the property in his name was set aside.

The Financial Commissioner had set aside the mutation on the ground that the property belonging to the temple could not be inherited by a private person.

Referring to the Supreme Court's order, the Financial Commissioner held that the temple property was owned by the deity as a legal person and could not be inherited by a private person.
It had also directed the Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar to take appropriate steps to put in place a mechanism to manage the temple property fairly and transparently.

Earlier Divisional Commissioner Kashmir set aside mutation of ownership in favour of one Vijay Kumar
The then Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, in terms of an 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 has not only been challenged by Vijay Sharma and his brother before the High Court but also and other tenants as well.