Srinagar: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has intervened to protect the land rights of several residents of Ajas village in Bandipora district, passing an interim order restraining the government from appropriating their property for road construction without following due legal process. Nine petitioners from Village Ajas, District Bandipora, approached the Court seeking protection of their land holdings. Presiding over the matter, Justice Rahul Bharti observed that the petitioners had established a prima facie case. To safeguard the rights of the landowners, the Court ordered that the land comprised under various survey numbers shall not be appropriated for the proposed PMGSY road construction until further orders. The Court also issued formal notices to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and other respondents.