JAMMU   -   Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a court in Rajouri district declared 14 individuals, including a couple, as proclaimed offenders, paving the way for the attachment of their properties. According to the Kashmir Media Service, the Munsiff-cum-Judicial Magistrate (First Class) in Kotranka issued the order following an application from the Kandi Station House Officer (SHO). The proclamation permits authorities to initiate proceedings to seize the properties of the accused. The individuals named in the order include Mohammad Aslam and his wife, Hakam Jaan, Sobhat Ali, Mohammad Sharief, Muhammad Iqbal, and Noorani—all residents of Larkuti—alongside Khadim Hussain of Kandi, Mohammad Azam and Gulzar of Gura Sarkri, Gulam Husain of Peeri, Muneer Hussain of Gakhrote, Mohd Shabir of Panjanara, Kala of Dharsakri, and Zabir Hussain of Kanthol. The court has charged them under the Egress and Internal Movement (Control) Ordinance. General arrest warrants were first issued on February 16, 2012, but the accused have remained elusive.

The declaration of these individuals as proclaimed offenders forms part of broader efforts aimed at dispossessing Kashmiris of their properties. The court’s proclamation gives the accused 30 days to appear before it, failing which their properties could be confiscated under legal procedures.

Observers have raised concerns about the potential misuse of such ordinances to target local residents, questioning the legitimacy of the charges and the broader implications for civil rights in the territory.