Locals demand Additional District Judge, ADC for Kangan

Kangan, Apr 11: Residents of the Kangan sub-division in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, along with members of the local legal fraternity, have strongly demanded enhanced judicial infrastructure and the upgradation of courts in the area. They are urging for the establishment of an Additional District Judge (ADJ) court and the posting of an Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) in Kangan to expedite the growing backlog of civil, criminal, and revenue cases pending in different courts in Ganderbal which are already overburden and the people of farflung area are facing impediments and  often delay in getting time justice .

The demand comes amid concerns over the lack of adequate judicial facilities in the Kangan area which currently has only a single Munsiff court to cater to the entire sub-division. Kangan spans a vast geographical area from Baltal to Manigam and includes two large tehsils — Gund and Kangan — encompassing several remote villages where residents  have to walk several kilometres to board the vehicle even to reach Kangan town.

Residents highlighted the severe inconvenience faced by litigants, particularly those from far-flung areas like Sonamarg and Gagengar, who are forced to travel over 140 kilometers to and from  (round trip) to the District Court in Ganderbal to attend hearings and most of the times they failed to attend their cases in courts at Ganderbal, resultantly  they  face hardships and their cases  are not properly expedite and disposed of within the stipulated time, and of late decided by court due to the procedural methods.

The situation is especially burdensome for marginalised communities, including Scheduled Tribes and economically weaker sections, who often lack the means to pursue legal cases at distant locations. "An Additional District Judge has already been sanctioned for the Sumbal sub-division, which has a smaller population and territorial jurisdiction and area as compared to Kangan," locals pointed out, questioning the rationale behind the disparity in judicial infrastructure.

Suhail Ahmed Mir, President of the Bar Association Kangan, echoed these concerns, stating, “The majority of civil, criminal, and revenue cases from the sub-division are currently being heard in the Sessions Court and other courts at  Ganderbal. The situation has worsened following the implementation of the new penal law, which has stripped Judicial Magistrates of powers to adjudicate cases such as IPC Section 354 (now 74 BNS) and other offenses with punishments exceeding three years. This shift places an additional burden on the Sessions Courts, making justice more inaccessible for the poor.”

Suhail said that Justice Mohammad Yousuf Wani, AN incumbent  Judge of JKL High Court had strongly recommended the upgradation of judicial infrastructure for the far flung of  Kangan  when he was  the Pr and Sessions Ganderbal and now during the current  High Court  has sought  details from  incumbent Pr and Sessions Judge Ganderbal Abdul Nasir  for the sanctioning ADJ court Kangan and accordingly Pr.District Judge Ganderbal forwarded it  to  Bar Association Kangan regarding  availability of space for sanctioning  of ADJ court for Kangan. In compliance there to Bar Association Kangan has submitted a detailed report thereof regarding availability of space and infrastructure.

However, court for ADJ remained a distant  dream and long pending  demand of  residents of Kangan Sub-Division and High Court has sanction ADJ court for Sumbal which is comparatively smaller in area and less populated compared to  Kangan sub-division

The residents and lawyers have jointly appealed to the Chief Justice of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh, the Administrative Judge of the High Court, and the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir to take immediate steps to meet their demands. They emphasised that the establishment of an Additional District Judge and the posting of an ADC in Kangan is not only a matter of convenience but a crucial step toward ensuring equitable access to justice for all citizens in the region.