New Delhi: The Home Ministry has notified the enemy property rules under the Enemy Property Act, 1968, allowing custodians to detect, preserve and control of such wealth.
The enemy property rules empower the custodian of enemy property to detect, identify and issue notices to people having unauthorised occupation of enemy property, official sources said.
The custodian can now take the assistance of district collectors for detection, preservation and control of these enemy properties.
The rules also authorise the custodians to conduct a national survey of all the hidden enemy properties across the country which may be lying under illegal occupation.
These rules also lay down the procedure for disinvestment of enemy property by the central government, sources said.
The Enemy Property Act 1968 was administered by the Ministry of Commerce till 2008 when the office of the Custodian of Enemy Property was transferred to Ministry of Home Affairs.
Those property in India owned by people who are now Pakistani nationals are called enemy property. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Enemy Property Act was promulgated in 1968.
The act authorised the Central Government of India to appoint a custodian for enemy property for India and one or more deputy/assistant custodians as assistances.
Under the notification issued on 10 September and 11 September 1965, the central government vested all enemy property in the hands of custodians.
The enemy property includes all immovable property, all lockers and safe deposits; and all negotiable instruments such as promissory notes, shares, debentures and other commerce.
