Why was the J&K high court so concerned about it?

And why has the J&K government performed this u-turn?

The idea was simple: under the original Act, people who were in possession of state-owned land from 1990 onwards, would get ownership of that land for a rate decided by the government based on market rates.

The cut-off date was extended to 2004 by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s government and then to 2007 by Ghulam Nabi Azad’s. The scheme also allowed for transfer of ownership rights on agricultural land to farmers occupying it for a nominal documentation fee, according to The Indian Express.

Explained: Why Has the J&K Government Decided to Review the Roshni Act? Collapse of ‘Land Jihad’ Narrative in Jammu

On Wednesday, 8 December, the Jammu and Kashmir government filed an application in the J&K High Court, asking it to bring forward its hearing of a review petition against a decision by its own division bench regarding the controversial ‘Roshni Act’.

The request for an early hearing is in sync with a marked change in the stance of the J&K government (which remains under the control of the Centre, as a Union Territory, following Governor/President’s Rule previously).

After all, it was former Governor Satya Pal Malik who had repealed the Roshni Act in 2018 and then ordered an anti-corruption investigation into dealings under it.

However following the high court’s decision in October 2020 to declare the Act “unconstitutional” and order a CBI probe into the transfers of land ownership under it, it was the J&K government which asked for a review of the decision.

The request for an early hearing is a little strange given the matter was scheduled to be heard on 16 December by the high court anyway.

But what exactly is this Roshni Act?

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Explained: The J&K Government’s Sudden Love for the ‘Roshni Act’

BJP had used allegations that land transfers under the Act had been misused to target established J&K politicians.