Patiala, April 18 — Tension gripped the Patiala Deputy Commissioner’s office late Thursday evening when a court-appointed team arrived to enforce a Supreme Court order in a 77-year-old property dispute linked to the Partition of India.
The team attached the official vehicle of the Deputy Commissioner and seized several office belongings after the administration failed to comply with compensation directives.
The action stems from a prolonged legal battle by the family of Kaneez Fatima, a former resident of Jhil village in Patiala, who migrated to Malerkotla during the 1947 Partition. Upon her return, Fatima discovered that her land had been sold by the administration. The family pursued the case through various courts for decades.
After Fatima’s death in 2008, her legal heirs continued the fight. A lower court in 2014 ruled in the family’s favor and directed the administration to compensate for the lost land. The ruling was challenged in higher courts but ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in 2023. The apex court ordered the Patiala administration to either return the land or pay compensation based on the current market rate.
Officials confirmed that the court team, executing the Supreme Court’s directive, confiscated the DC’s official Innova vehicle and other assets including air conditioners, fans, coolers, and water dispensers. The operation caused panic among staff, with senior officers reportedly caught off guard.
“The court has now given the administration time until Monday to comply,” said a court official familiar with the development. No officer from the Patiala administration or the judiciary has publicly commented on the matter, citing ongoing legal proceedings.
As of Friday morning, the seized DC vehicle remained parked under cover inside the district complex, a quiet but stark reminder of the judiciary’s rare enforcement step against a government office. Media access to the scene was restricted.
The incident has sparked serious questions over long-pending rehabilitation claims post-Partition and the government’s accountability in enforcing judicial orders, even after decades.
