Srinagar, June 23 -- In the long story of land reforms in India, Jammu and Kashmir once stood out. In 1976, the erstwhile state introduced the Agrarian Reforms Act, a bold law that promised to break the back of feudal landlordism. The idea was simple: give the land to the people who actually work on it.

Many thought this was one of the most powerful land reforms in India, even more far-reaching than the ones in places like West Bengal or Kerala.

But nearly 50 years later, the reform is still hanging halfway. Families who should have become rightful landowners long ago are now finding themselves caught between what's written in law and what's missing in official records.

The problem lies in a gap between two sections of the law. Section...