Separate CAT bench a course correction: NC

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 28: National Conference today described the constitution of a separate bench of Central Administrative Tribunal for Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh a step towards redressing the injustice meted out to lakhs of employees and a much needed course correction.
In a statement, senior National Conference leaders said the order with regard to CAT issued earlier by the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India was not only uncalled for but almost a punishment for the aggrieved employees of Jammu and Kashmir, who were required to proceed to Chandigarh for redressal of their grievances. The clarification given later too was harsh as the visits of Chandigarh bench to Jammu had potential of delaying the justice due to overburdened nature of the Tribunal.
The statement said that the earlier decision was not only detrimental for the employees but the members of the legal fraternity here as well. While thousands of employees, mostly non-gazetted and Class IV employees, daily wagers, casual, consolidated and contractual work- force were hit hard, the decision had potential to impact and cause inconvenience to legal fraternity in representing the cases.
The signatories to the joint statement included Senior Advocate Rattan Lal Gupta, Advocate D. S Chauhan, Advocate Kashmira Singh, Advocate Surinder Singh Bunty and others.