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| CAT issues Rs 50,000 bailable warrants against IUST VC, registrar | | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 22: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Srinagar Bench, has issued bailable warrants of Rs 50,000 each against the Vice Chancellor and Registrar of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora, after they failed to appear before it even through virtual mode in a contempt proceeding.
A Bench comprising Member (Administrative) Prasant Kumar and Member (Judicial) M.S. Latif directed the Superintendent of Police, Police District Awantipora, to execute the warrants against IUST Vice Chancellor Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo and Registrar Shamim Ahmad Shah and secure their presence before the Tribunal on July 23 at 3 pm.
The directions were passed in a contempt petition filed by Dr Sheikh Mohd Imran concerning the alleged non-compliance of an earlier Tribunal order.
The Tribunal said a detailed order had been passed on July 20 directing the Deputy Advocate General to inform the Vice Chancellor about the proceedings. Both university officials were asked to submit a compliance report and appear through virtual mode on July 21.
When the case was taken up, Deputy Advocate General Rais-ud-Din Ganai presented applications seeking exemption from appearance, permission to file a compliance report and an affidavit on behalf of the Vice Chancellor.
The exemption plea stated that the Vice Chancellor and Registrar were required to participate throughout the week in meetings of the university's selection committee and that their absence could disrupt the recruitment process.
Rejecting the explanation, the Tribunal observed that the meetings could have been deferred for 10 to 15 minutes to enable the officials to appear virtually and uphold the authority of the judicial process.
The Bench also found defects in the affidavit accompanying the exemption application. It noted that although the document carried the Registrar's signature and seal, it did not specify who had made the solemn affirmation and was not properly attested under the CAT Rules of Practice, 1993.
"Disregarding the court's order may seem bold, but the shadows of its consequences are long and cold," the Tribunal remarked.
Advocates S.A. Makroo, Irfan Rasool, Danish and Rahil Noor appeared for the petitioner, while Deputy Advocate General Rais-ud-Din Ganai represented the respondents.
The Tribunal said contempt was a serious legal infraction that struck at the sanctity of judicial proceedings and could erode public confidence in the justice system.
It observed that vague or unsupported statements could not be accepted as sufficient grounds for granting exemption from appearance, particularly when the officials had been notified in advance and were required to join only through virtual mode.
The Bench said it had prima facie reason to believe that the contemnors were "subverting compliance" with the Tribunal's order. It, however, clarified that the observations would not amount to an expression of opinion on the overall merits of the main case.
The Registry was directed to immediately send the warrants to the SP Awantipora for execution and constitute a Special Bench for hearing the matter on July 23.
(JNF) |
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