Bukhari demands separate CAT benches for twin cities

QUOTE: “Instead of establishing two tribunals one in Jammu and another in Srinagar for the aggrieved employees of J&K, shifting above 30,000 service matters pending against the UT to the CAT, Chandigarh, for adjudication is simply a travesty of justice,” Altaf Bukhari, JK Apni Party

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 30

Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari on Thursday said not setting up the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Jammu and Kashmir was to defeat justice at the doorstep. He sought separate designated CAT benches for Jammu and Srinagar.

Bukhari objected to a Central government order by virtue of which all aggrieved employees of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir will now have to approach the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in Chandigarh for redress of their grievances.

In a statement issued here, Bukhari took a strong exception to the order issued by the department of personnel and training on April 29 by way of which CAT has been reconstituted and its jurisdiction extended to the J&K employees, who were brought within the ambit of the central services on October 31, 2019, because of the UT status of Jammu and Kashmir.

He demanded immediate withdrawal of the controversial order in the interest of the welfare of the employees and unemployed youth of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the new order did not only deprive the aggrieved employees of J&K of speedier and cost-effective justice delivery but also denied these rights to the job aspirants who would like to approach the judicial system with their grievances.

The JKAP president said a huge chunk of service matters filed before the J&K High Court pertained to daily earners, casual labourers and other low-paid employees who could hardly afford the litigation cost, fee for lawyers and travel and stay expenditures if their litigations were shifted to Chandigarh.

“By establishing two separate wings of CAT in the twin capitals of J&K, justice will get speedier, cheaper and the litigants will have a choice to engage local lawyers and save their expenses on travel and stay, besides the average time spent on pursuing a hearing in their matters will be reduced substantially,” he said.