J&K HC issues notices to 23 people accused of encroaching on stream

The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has issued notices to 23 people accused of encroaching 'Shah Kul', a historic stream that served as the primary water source for the famous Mughal-era Nishat Garden here.

While hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding the removal of illegal encroachments on the canal, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal instructed the authorities to submit within two days full details of other encroachers listed in their supplementary compliance report.

The court directed that the encroachers be served notice through the Srinagar deputy commissioner. The counsel appearing for the government undertook to facilitate the process to ensure that all of the encroachers are served before the adjourned date.

The court ordered that the interim direction, if any, passed in the PIL shall continue till the next date.

The PIL filed in 2023 seeks the court's intervention for the removal of all illegal encroachments and restoration of the original status of the historical canal that used to be the main source of water for the Nishat Garden since the time of the Mughal emperor Jehangir.

It seeks directions for the restoration of adjoining roads encroached upon by some private individuals.

The PIL also seeks directions for constituting a high-level committee comprising an officer of the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) and other investigation wings to investigate the gross mismanagement of the official respondents (authorities).

It seeks an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to inquire into the conduct of the officials in the matter.