CAT dismayed over delay, grants 4 weeks for response

Srinagar, Aug 22: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Srinagar granted three weeks to the government to file its response to a plea after Divisional Commissioner Kashmir through virtual mode submitted that the matter had been taken up on priority and sent to the concerned law department for vetting.

“We would grant further time of three weeks for doing the needful,” a division bench of M S Latif Member (J) and Prasant Kumar Member (A) said in its order while hearing a transfer application by one  Khurshid Ahmad Dar related to his government job.

“We hope and trust that we all uphold the rule of law at any cost, as the supremacy of law has to be upheld irrespective of whosoever it is, high or low, as we are all subservient to law,” the bench said.

The Tribunal’s direction came after it observed that the matter was initially filed in 2018 before the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and to date the respondents (authorities) have not bothered to file their response, despite ample opportunities being granted to them.

Vide order dated 19.02.2024, the tribunal said, yet again time was granted to the respondents for response.

While the court noted that the matter came up for consideration on July 23, it said non-compliance with the earlier orders compelled it to seek the presence of the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, to explain why the orders of the court were not being complied with.

“Today, the matter came up for consideration. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri, IAS is present in virtual mode from his office. He in all fairness submits that there has been a delay in filing the response and the matter has now been taken up on priority and the same has been sent to the concerned law department for vetting,” the Tribunal said in its order of August 20.

The Divisional Commissioner, the court said, also reiterated that in future, he would look into the matter so that the replies are timely filed before the Courts, lest people should not lose faith in the temple of justice.

“We appreciate this gesture of Mr Bithuri, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir,” the bench said and listed the plea for further consideration on October 7.