Early Times Report
JAMMU, Sept 10: The Central Administrative Tribunal, Jammu Bench, has directed the Jammu and Kashmir Government to consider extending to a Reasi-based Urdu Teacher aspirant the same benefit of revalidation and operation of the waiting list granted to similarly placed candidates in the Kashmir Division.
A Bench comprising Judicial Member Diwakar Singh and Administrative Member Ram Mohan Johri passed the direction in an application filed by Mohd Aslam of Mahore, Reasi.
The applicant had challenged Government Order No. 513-JK (Edu) of 2025 dated July 7, 2025, whereby his claim for operation of the waiting list for the post of Urdu Teacher, District Cadre Reasi, was rejected.
Five Urdu Teacher posts for Reasi were advertised under Advertisement Notification No. 06 of 2017. Aslam was placed at Serial No. 2 in the Open Merit waiting list published on February 25, 2019.
Two selected candidates, Shoket Ahmed and Shaied Iqbal, did not join after reportedly being selected as Patwaris. The first resulting vacancy was filled by appointing Suman Rajput, who stood at Serial No. 1 on the waiting list. After Shaied Iqbal's candidature was cancelled in March 2020, the Services Selection Board asked the department to operate the waiting list.
The Chief Education Officer, Reasi, subsequently recommended Aslam as the next meritorious candidate, but his claim was eventually rejected by the Government. Advocate Arshad Hussain appeared for the applicant, while Additional Advocates General Sudesh Magotra and Rajesh Thappa represented the respondents.
The Tribunal noted that the Government had subsequently revalidated and operated waiting lists arising from the same 2017 advertisement for similarly situated Teacher posts in the Kashmir Division.
Without ruling upon the validity of the Government's earlier rejection, the CAT directed the respondents to consider Aslam against the vacancy caused by the cancellation of Shaied Iqbal's candidature on the same terms applied to candidates covered by the Kashmir notification.
If found similarly situated and otherwise eligible, his case shall be processed for appointment. The exercise must be completed through a reasoned order within six weeks. (JNF) |
