J&K Police: Unregistered hotels, guesthouses, and homestays in Srinagar are strictly enforced

J&K Police: On Saturday, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said that they have taken action against Srinagar’s unregistered hotels, guesthouses, and homestays.

“Srinagar Police, in coordination with Tourist Police Station Srinagar, conducted a verification and inspection drive across the city to ensure compliance with statutory norms by homestays, hotels, and guest houses,” according to a police statement.

Several businesses were discovered to be operating without a legal registration from the appropriate authorities during the campaign.These featured the homestays Al Habib, Golden Moon, and Divine Holiday, as well as the hotels Essar, ABC Residency, Gani, and Aksa. The offenders who operated without the required registration were fined. Furthermore, the owners of all such unregistered enterprises would be the target of preventative action under Sections 126/170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the statement said.

In order to prevent legal action, Srinagar Police has encouraged all owners and operators of hotels, guest houses, and homestays to adhere carefully to the legal requirements and make sure they register with the appropriate authorities on time.

In order to guarantee compliance with rules and to encourage safe, legal, and responsible tourism in the area, such verification and enforcement campaigns will continue in the future, the statement said.

A hotel and homestay in Srinagar were sued in December 2025 for neglecting to notify the authorities of the stay of an Israeli person and other foreign visitors, as required by the obligatory Form-C filing guidelines.

Foreigners, including Israelis, are permitted to stay in Srinagar hotels as long as the lodging establishment complies with the government’s necessary reporting regulations. Mandatory Form-C: Within 24 hours of a foreign visitor’s arrival, all Indian hotels, guesthouses, houseboats, and homestay operators must electronically submit Form-C to the Foreigners Registration Office (FRO).

Following inspections, Srinagar Police filed many First Information Reports (FIRs) against different lodging establishments for breaking these rules.

For purposefully hiding the stay of an Israeli person called Starobinsky Lior and others, an IMY Homestay owner in the Lal Bazar region was particularly booked.