Disturbed Areas Act inquiry not about law and order: HC

The Gujarat High Court has ruled that the purpose of assessing the sale value of a property under the Disturbed Areas Act is not to determine if the sale to a member of another community would create a law-and-order problem. The court clarified that the objective is to ascertain whether the sale was a distress sale due to fear of migration. The ruling came in response to objections filed by neighbors to a Hindu family’s sale of property to a Muslim trader in a Vadodara area covered by the Disturbed Areas Act. The court stated that the inquiry should focus on whether the sale was voluntary and for a fair value.