Do you know that Pakistan is our enemy/? Do you also know that a building right in the middle of the state headquarters Chennai is owned by a Pakistani? Again, do you know that there is a law enabling takeover of such property by the Government of India? now read on to know what happened to the Chennai TNTJ building on January 6:
Custodian for Enemy Property for India under the Ministry of Home Affairs took over the Tamilnadu Thowheed Jamaath Chennai head office under the Enemy Property Act on 6th January. It is reported that the power of attorney holder Mr Rahman, the title holder of the property to run a lungi firm, is now in Pakistan. The premises used is in violation of conditions of assignment.
The Enemy Property Act was enacted in 1968 which enables and regulates the appropriation of property in India owned by those who had migrated/fled to Pakistan and China decades ago, post Indo-China war of 1962 and Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. The act was passed following the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965. Ownership is passed to the custodian of Enemy Property for India, an office instituted by the Central Government, where apart from immovable, movable properties are categorized as Enemy Properties.
Subsequent to this enactment, an amendment and validation bill was passed in 2016, where it sought to replace an ordinance promulgated to this effect on 7th January 2016, this got passed at the Rajya Sabha floor on March 10, 2017. The amendments made to the bill of 1968, were, to vest all rights, titles, interests over Enemy Property in the Custodian of the Enemy Property for India. The amended Bill also declared transfer of Enemy Property by the enemy, conducted under the Act, to be VOID. This applies retrospectively to those transfers that have occurred before or after 1968. The amended Bill prohibits civil courts and other authorities from entertaining disputes related to Enemy Property.
The Ministry has said vesting of Enemy Property is an ongoing process a new property is taken up for vesting after their identification, the properties so vested are taken up for disposal thereafter. The disposal is subject to market processes and judicial interventions; therefore, no time limit has been fixed for disposal of Enemy Properties.
It has been narrated by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, in his first election rally at Delhi has categorically stated, that the Enemy Property amended in 2017, if that to be enacted in congress government that would take another 50 years, but his Government is going to make the 2-lakh crore revenue short fall in the current fiscal good, by selling properties under the Enemy Property Act, to a tune of 1 lakh crore.
