Overview

• President Droupadi Murmu recommended the Kashmiri Pandits (Recourse, Restitution, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Bill, 2022 under Article 117(3), allowing its consideration in the Rajya Sabha during the current session.
• Congress MP Vivek Tankha introduced the Bill in February 2024 and noted it is the first private member’s legislation on Pandit rehabilitation to win presidential approval.
• The legislation proposes minority status, genocide victim recognition, and financial compensation for roughly 450,000 displaced Kashmiri Pandits alongside the restoration of temples and heritage sites by a committee with civil court powers.
• Upon enactment the Bill would also require the publication of a white paper documenting atrocities in the Kashmir Valley from 1988 onward.
• Community leaders and diaspora organizations have welcomed the recommendation and are pressing MPs across party lines to vote in favour once the Rajya Sabha draws lots to schedule the debate.