Srinagar, July 17 -- In the heart of rural Jammu & Kashmir, where every kanal of land is a lifeline, the subtle handwriting in the tenancy column of a Jamabandi or a Girdawari can determine who tills the soil, who claims the crop, and ultimately, who controls the land. These tenancy entries-meant to reflect lawful possession and usage-have, over decades, evolved into points of contention, confusion, and at times, covert manipulation.

Despite multiple rounds of land reforms, modernization drives, and now the sweeping digitization of land records under portals like WALHARUS, the integrity of this crucial column remains compromised. In hundreds of survey numbers across the region, the tenancy status in the Jamabandi differs from that in the...