Gulmarg’s famous 137-year-old Nedous hotel served eviction notice

After 137 years, the famous Nedous Hotel, owned by the in-laws of the ruling National Conference (NC) founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, in Gulmarg was served an eviction notice on Saturday (August 2, 2025).

“In exercise of powers conferred under the Jammu & Kashmir Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1988 and in compliance with the orders of the Hon’ble High Court J&K and the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, it is hereby ordered that the persons presently in unauthorised occupation of the public premises known as Hotel Nedou’s, Gulmarg, are hereby directed to vacate the public premises forthwith and handover the possession,” the eviction notice, issued by the Estates Officer Gulmarg, reads.

The District Magistrate, Baramulla, has been requested “to provide all necessary support including the deployment of a Magistrate on site and adequate police personnel, to ensure the peaceful execution of the eviction process and maintenance of public order”.

The Nedous had possession of nearly 98 kanals and 11 marlas of government land. The family had earned multiple leases from the government till 1985, but failed to renew the same after its expiration in 1985. The J&K government rejected the lease in February 2015. Later, the J&K High Court too dismissed the hotel’s plea for lease renewal and declared an unauthorized occupant under the J&K Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorized Occupants) Act, 1988.

“After due examination of the relevant record and legal provisions, it has been found expedient to proceed with eviction and take over possession of the said property in compliance with the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and Hon’ble High Court of Jammu & Kashmir,” the eviction notice reads.

According to the Nedous, Michael Adam Nedou, a European, discovered Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district In the early 1800s as a holiday destination for Europeans and royalties built the Nedous Hotel in Lahore in the 1870s and in Gulmarg in 1888. 

Nedou’s eldest son Harry Nedou married Mir Jaan, a woman of Rajput Gujjar descent from Gulmarg. Their daughter, Akbar Jahan, later married NC founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah. At present, the sons of Harry Nedou inherited the family business of Nedous Hotels in India and Omar K. Nedou is the proprietor and owner of Nedous Group of Hotels. The Nedous are related to current Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.