Many IPS, KAS officers to get promotion
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 27: State Cabinet, which is meeting under the chairpersonship of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tomorrow, will take decision on long pending proposal for establishment of first ever Law Commission in Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, the Cabinet will put seal of approval on proposals regarding creation of posts for Cluster Universities and promotion of IPS and KAS officers to next higher scale.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that Cabinet will meet at 5 pm at Civil Secretariat in Srinagar, the summer capital of the State, to take decision on several important but pending issues. One of these issues pertains to establishment of first ever Law Commission of Jammu and Kashmir whose fate is hanging in balance since 2013 when announcement in this regard was made on the floor of the Legislative Assembly.
The announcement regarding establishment of Law Commission of Jammu and Kashmir was first made in the Legislative Assembly by the then Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs during the Budget Session held in March 2013. Thereafter, a detailed exercise was initiated in the Law Department and finally the proposal was submitted to the Finance and Planning Departments for concurrence as several posts were required to be created for the Commission.
During the Budget Session of 2014, it was announced by the then Government that establishment of Law Commission was under active consideration and very shortly the State would get this vital body. However, when the proposal finally reached the State Cabinet on June 4, 2014 it was deferred on some unfounded apprehensions.
In the Budget Session held in the month of June 2016, the Law Minister again made announcement in this regard mentioning that almost all the hurdles in the way of establishment of Law Commission were overcome and Cabinet will be approached for nod. However, there was no major headway in translating announcement into reality.
During the discussion on the grants of Law and Justice Department in the Legislative Assembly on January 19 this year, the Law Minister Abdul Haq Khan stated that a fresh proposal has been prepared whereby all the issues raised earlier were addressed. Soon after the Budget Session, the file was submitted to the General Administration Department for placement before the Cabinet. However, no seriousness was shown in this regard.
Now, after delay of several months the proposal will come up for discussion in the Cabinet tomorrow. “We are hopeful of approval of the Cabinet this time as concurrence of all the concerned departments has been obtained and issues raised earlier addressed”, an officer of the Law Department said.
“The setting up of Law Commission is imperative to ascertain the viability and applicability of the existing laws in the present times and review/repeal of obsolete ones from the statutes”, sources said while disclosing that at present no such exercise is being conducted for want of Law Commission.
The last review of obsolete and outdated laws was carried out seven years back when on the recommendations of a committee 13 laws that had become obsolete/outdated were repealed under Jammu and Kashmir Obsolete Laws (Repeal) Act of 2010.
According to the sources, the Cabinet will also clear the proposal of Higher Education Department regarding creation of posts for Cluster Universities of Kashmir and Jammu. “This has become imperative so as to make these varsities functional in near future”, they added.
The Cabinet will also put seal of approval on the proposals of the Home and General Administration Departments regarding promotion of certain IPS and KAS officers to the next higher grade. While the IPS officers will be promoted to scale of Additional Director General of Police, the KAS officers will be promoted to Super Time Scale.
Even posting of Director Fisheries and appointment of Director Labour and Defence Procurements will be ordered by the Cabinet, sources said, adding a proposal of the Law Department regarding creation of more posts of Research Assistants will also come up for discussion. Even in the recent past such posts were created but the High Court has projected the requirement of more such posts, sources informed.
They said that Cabinet is also likely to extend services of a retired District and Sessions Judge as Principal Secretary to Chairperson of Jammu and Kashmir State Accountability Commission. Besides other administrative agenda, the Cabinet will also clear proposals regarding diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes so as to give practical shape to some developmental projects.
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