HC grants reprieve to J-K migrant labourers, allows them to stay in quarters till March 2026

Holding that it would be "unjust and harsh" to order the immediate eviction of migrant labourers belonging to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has granted time till March 31, 2026, for them to vacate the quarters they had been residing in for nearly four decades.

- PT News

The bench also directed the authorities to consider their rehabilitation and, if necessary, to frame a policy in that regard. The court observed that the petitioners had been staying in the Sector 29 quarters provided by the UT Administration for about 37 years. As such, it would be in the interest of justice to accord a reasonable time to make alternative arrangements and vacate the premises. "We, therefore, deem it appropriate to grant them time till March 31, 2026 to vacate the quarters. We also direct the respondents to consider rehabilitation of the petitioners as they have been residing in Chandigarh for almost four decades and if necessary, consider framing policy in that regard," the division bench of Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Deepak Manchanda observed, while disposing of a bunch of 15 p