When the Jhelum breached its banks on September 7, one of the first buildings it inundated was the lower court, on the banks.
The flood submerged the court's ground floor, and with it, the records of Srinagar’s land and property disputes, fake encounter cases, militancy-related cases, traffic offences, marriages and other deeds.
The court, still under water, could find itself without records when it reopens.
“More than 80 per cent of the records have been under water for over a week and most probably they are completely damaged,” said lawyer Shakeel Zahgeer. Mohammad Ishaq Qadri, Advocate-General, told The Hindu that the damage could only be assessed once the water had drained completely. “If the records are lost, the court will have to depend on the files of lawyers,” said Public Prosecutor Riyaz Ahmad Bhat.
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