Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 11: Justice Tashi Rabstan of J&K High Court has summoned the Commissioner/ Secretary Agriculture Production Department M A Bukhari to appear in person in a contempt of court case filed against him in the promotion case of over 900 odd Agriculture officers.
The Court also directed the Government to stop the salary of the Commissioner/ Secretary Agriculture Production Department for the month of July 2015. The court granted the final opportunity to the respondents to implement the judgment and gave three weeks time for clearing cases to the Commissioner/ Secretary, failing which he shall have to appear in person before the Court.
Justice Rabstan further observed that from the compliance report in pursuance to the directions of June 2, 2015, it has been noticed that the judgment of the court has not been implemented in the letter and spirit, which amounts to contempt of Court. Advocate S K Shukla appeared on behalf of the petitioners while Dy AG K S Charak for the respondents.
The case pertains to the promotion of a large number of ineligible candidates, bypassing the seniority of many other deserving officers. Over 900 Agriculture officers and majority of them from Jammu region have been affected with this promotion order challenged by the Court. This promotion scandal surfaced in 2008 after some ineligible officers were promoted on adhoc basis, ignoring recruitment and promotion rules. A Govt order No. 279-Agri of 2008, dated 7/10/2008 was issued during the Governor rule in the backdrop of a court judgment passed in clubbed cases titled Karanjeet Singh and others vs State, dated 19-2-2008. The court had directed to fill all the promotional posts in Agriculture Gazetted Services on substantive basis within a period of six months strictly as per recruitment rules of 1988.
As per Govt order nearly 900 promotions were effected with this. Almost 650 promoted officers were from Jammu division while those who were enjoying lucrative posts, prior to this order were from Kashmir division. Later, after taking over by GH Mir as new Minister, some people hatched a conspiracy to undo the Govt order No. 279 of 2008. An inquiry was also ordered in this regard. The Gazetted officers mostly from Jammu were awaiting promotions for the last two decades but the initial of 2008 order was kept in abeyance and status quo was enforced vide Govt Order No. 14 of 2010 dated 29-10-2010, in deference to interim court order. The High Court in its final order maintained that Govt Order No. 279-Agri of 2008 should remain in force but former Agriculture Minister continued to carry out pick and choose policy in violation of the High Court orders. A large number of retired officers are also facing hardships as their claims/ gratuity/ arrears after retirement have not been settled.
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