People’s Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti has announced that her party has submitted the Jammu and Kashmir Land Rights and Regularization Bill, 2025, referred to as the “Anti-Bulldozer Bill”, to the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Secretariat for inclusion in the forthcoming session.
The private member’s bill aims to address ongoing concerns over arbitrary land evictions and demolitions in the region, especially following the 2019 reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into a Union Territory and the annulment of the 2001 Roshni Act in 2020.
The bill seeks to grant ownership rights to individuals, families, and institutions that have been in continuous possession of land for over 30 years. This includes state land, common land, kacharie land, and shamilat land under the J&K Agrarian Reforms Act, 1976.
Mehbooba Mufti explained that the bill explicitly aims to prevent the “bulldozer process”, a term popularised for punitive demolitions of properties without due process, often targeting alleged encroachers, rioters, or long-term occupants. The legislation intends to secure legal protections to avoid forced displacements, ensuring social and economic stability, especially in tourism-dependent areas like Gulmarg, where nearly 60 hotels, including heritage sites, face takeover notices.
Mufti also urged the ruling National Conference (NC)-led government to either adopt the bill or introduce its own equivalent. She pledged the PDP’s full support for any protective measures, amid criticism of the administration’s handling of land policies, including non-renewal of business leases and anti-encroachment actions.
This proposal echoes national debates on “bulldozer politics,” a practice seen in states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, which drew Supreme Court scrutiny in 2024 for lacking due process.