| High court of J&K, Ladakh directs Chief Secretary to address staff shortages , pay anomaly issues | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 7In response to a petition filed by Joginder Singh highlighting staff shortages, pay anomalies among officers and staff, and promotional avenues for Law Graduate Readers at the High Court and District Courts, the Division Bench of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, comprising Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Mohan Lal, directed the Chief Secretary of the Union Territory (U.T.) of J&K to convene a meeting with relevant authorities. The objective of the meeting is to finalize plans for creating additional posts in a time-bound phased manner.
The meeting, scheduled to take place on August 21, 2023, at the Civil Secretariat, will involve the Principal Secretary to Government, Finance Department; Registrar General of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh; and Secretary to Government, Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Department. The Court expects the outcome of this meeting to be presented in a detailed affidavit by Monika Kohli, Sr. AAG, during the next hearing on August 28, 2023.
In the hearing, the Court was apprised of a compliance report filed by the respondents, outlining the creation of some posts as requested by the High Court on the administrative side. However, the petitioner, present in person, pointed out discrepancies in comparing staff structures with the High Court of Punjab and Haryana. The petitioner argued that the staff requirements of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh are unique and cannot be benchmarked against other states’ High Courts.
The Court reiterated that the creation of 334 posts had been recommended by the High Court in 2015, considering the need for staff in its two Wings/Benches, particularly due to distinct topographies of the Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
The Court emphasized that these territories’ High Court has different staff requirements compared to other states in the country.
Additionally, the Court referred to a previous judgment/order dated July 11, 2023, titled “Mohammad Sharief Khan and others v. State of J&K,” which emphasized the powers and independence of High Courts/Judiciary as mandated in Article 229 of the Constitution of India.
The Division Bench’s directive to address the issues of staff shortages, pay anomalies, and promotional avenues aims to ensure the smooth functioning of the judicial system in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, facilitating justice delivery to the people of the region. |
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