SRINAGAR: The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has directed maintenance of the status quo on the 17-kanal parcel of land at Baghat Barzulla, popularly known as the MET Ground, amid a dispute over its allotment for construction projects. The order comes in response to a writ petition filed by the Football Association Barzullah seeking preservation of the land as a public playing field.
The court noted that the land, known as Bua Ashraf Begum property, is evacuee property under the administrative control of the Custodian Evacuee Property, Kashmir, as per the Jammu and Kashmir State Evacuees (Administration of Property) Act of 2006. The petitioner claimed that the ground has been used for football and related activities for over three decades and serves as a vital recreational space for local youth.
According to the order, out of the 17 kanals of evacuee land, 10 kanals had been allotted to the Police Department for the construction of a hostel for police martyrs under an order dated October 24, 2024, while 4 kanals were allotted to the CEO/Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (Jammu and Kashmir BOCWWB) for an office complex. The petitioners argued that these allotments would deprive sportspersons of their only playing field.
The court directed that “status quo of the football/playing field vis-à-vis the 17 kanals of Bua Ashraf Begum evacuee property shall not be disturbed,” effectively staying all construction activities until further orders.
Reacting to the court’s decision, former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti said the High Court’s intervention was “a huge sigh of relief for the entire community, especially the youth, for whom this ground is not just an open space but their only place to play, grow, and breathe freely.”
She expressed hope that the Police Department would respect the court’s order and halt all ongoing construction. “It is hoped that the Police Department, as the primary custodian of law and order, will honour the Court’s stay order and ensure that no further construction takes place on the ground,” she wrote on X.
The Hon’ble J&K High Court’s intervention in saving MET Ground, Baghat Barzulla, is a huge sigh of relief for the entire community, especially the youth, for whom this ground is not just an open space. But it is their only place to play, grow, breathe freely, and engage in… pic.twitter.com/2ELa2r9HUi
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) October 11, 2025
In a subsequent post, Mehbooba urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah—who also holds the charge of the Revenue Department—to identify an alternate piece of land for the Jammu and Kashmir Police for the construction of a Martyrs Memorial. “This gesture will help resolve the issue in a way that satisfies all concerned parties,” she said.
