With the aim of ensuring public safety and keep a check on social crime as an imminent apprehended danger to public security that warrants immediate preventive measures, the District Magistrate Srinagar, Mohammad Aijaz Asad has issued an order under Sections of Cr.P.C, that all landlords, owners of properties, attorney holders, persons in-charge of premises in any capacity (hereafter called as building owners) located in the entire jurisdiction of District Srinagar to comply strictly with the following directions.
The order of the District Magistrate(DM) Srinagar reads as “All Building Owners shall after the issuance of this order and within ten days of letting/ sub-letting / renting out his/her house or part thereof to any tenant(s), submit without fail the detailed particulars of the tenant(s) to be signed by both the owner and the tenant(s) to the concerned Police Station, either in person or by registered post addressed to the concerned Station House Officer”.
The order further reads,” The Building Owners who have already let/sub-let/rented out their house(s) or part(s) thereof to any tenant on any date prior to issuance of this order, shall within ten days after the issuance of this order submit without fail the detailed particulars of ‘the tenants to the concerned police station and All arrangements of letting or sub-letting the property like “paying Guest” tenants etc, shall be covered by this order”.
In addition,”Every SHO in Srinagar District shall maintain a separate register for such purpose”, the order reads.
The order further cited that “This order shall come into force with immediate effect and it shall remain in force for a period of 60 days, unless withdrawn earlier and Any violation of this order shall invite punitive action under Section 188 of Indian Penal Code 1860 and other relevant sections of the Cr.P.C”.
The order also stated that “the Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar will implement the order.
The order has also mentioned other communication references read as ”Whereas, Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar vide his letter No. 1-23/12741-42 dated:03-4-2023 and No. CS/01-23/12910-12, dated:04-04.2023 as reported that Srinagar being a capital city, a good number of people from other places are putting up in the District Srinagar in the rented accommodation. Whereas, investigation in multiple incidents of social crime including theft / burglary has revealed that the persons involved in such activities have been staying as tenants in Srinagar city which poses a danger to the ordinary Citizens.
The references in order also stated that “Whereas, on April, 3rd, 2023 an incident of immoral trafficking came to the fore in the Bagh-i-Mehtab area of Srinagar city falling within the jurisdiction P/S Channapora. During the preliminary investigations it has been divulged that accused persons hail from outside of District Srinagar and had hired a private house in the said area. Further, the house-owner, where the illicit racket was busted, had not conducted tenant verification and whereas, the surfacing of the racket has evoked outrage among the public circles having a tendency to become a law and order issue thus necessitating putting in place measures for stopping such illicit / immoral activities”.
Moreover, “Whereas, time and again it has also been brought to the notice of undersigned that few incidents of acid attack / eve-teasing have occurred in the recent past in the District which are in turn damaging the social fabric of society thus calling for putting the deterrence measures in place” the order also reads.
The DMs order has also made a mention of reference which reads as “Whereas, SSP, Srinagar vide above mentioned communication/s has requested that there is an imminent need to conduct verification of tenants staying in rented accommodations in various parts of the city as there have been instances of social crimes and illicit activities, besides, it is necessary that some steps are taken to make the landlords, property owners accountable before renting out or making available their premises to tenants, so that such the criminals / anti-social /anti-national elements in the guise of tenants do not succeed in Commission of crime in the Community.
