Srinagar, Sep 27: A local Court here in Baramulla has ordered status quo on Hotel Royal Park, Gulmarg, which was recently taken over by the authorities after its rent agreement reportedly expired in June this year.
The order was passed today by the Court of 1st Additional District Judge, Baramulla, Naseer Ahmad Dar, in a suit filed by Bilal Ahmad Shah, proprietor of Hotel Royal Park, against the Gulmarg Development Authority (GDA).
The court, as per Kashmir Dot Com, while admitting the plea for declaration and perpetual injunction, directed the GDA to maintain status quo with respect to the hotel premises until the next date of hearing on October 7, 2025.
The plaintiff, represented by Advocate Khurshid Naik, argued that the 20-year lease period of the hotel should be calculated from December 2005, the date of completion of renovation works and execution of the rent deed, and would therefore expire only in November 2025. He further stated that he has paid rent regularly, including an advance for the coming four months, and that his request for a lease extension of another 20 years is still under consideration with the J&K Tourism Department.
The court, after perusing the plaint and supporting documents, observed that a prima facie case exists in favour of the plaintiff and restrained the GDA from eviction until further hearing. The order also allows the defendant authority to seek modification or cancellation of the interim relief.
Earlier, officials of the Gulmarg Development Authority had announced that Hotel Royal Park was being reclaimed after the rent agreement expired in June this year, and that the property would be handed back to the GDA. The hotel, a GDA-owned property, had been rented to a local businessman for nearly two decades.
The move was seen as part of a larger government effort to reclaim expired lease properties in Gulmarg. Recently, the administration had also taken over the iconic 137-year-old Hotel Nedous, which was occupying over 98 kanals of state land after its lease expired in 1985. (KDC)
