No separate regular bench in UT
SRINAGAR: Amid growing chorus for setting up a separate regular bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal in Jammu & Kashmir, the Government of India on Friday said CAT’s Chandigarh bench will hold frequent sittings in the newly carved out Union Territory.
The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions today said the CAT will have more frequent sittings in Jammu & Kashmir to dispose off matters related to UT employees.
“It is reiterated that earlier also, the CAT bench used to hold its sittings in Jammu & Kashmir to dispose off service matters related to Central Government employees of J&K. The only difference now is that it will also be disposing off matters related to UT employees and therefore will have more frequent sittings in UT of J&K,” reads a handout issued by the ministry.
The Ministry further said registration of cases can also be done locally either online or in the secretariat office of CAT to be set up locally after the UT Government provides appropriate facility.
“Disposal of cases through CAT in UT of J&K will ensure fare and objective delivery of justice,” the handout reads as per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO)
The government further clarified that “neither the petitioner nor the lawyer need to go to Chandigarh for filling petition or appearing before the tribunal-related to service matters of employees”.
“The term Chandigarh circuit is being misinterpreted to mean that the petitioner/lawyer would have to go to Chandigarh, which is not so. All service matters of Central Government and UT employees of J&K and Ladakh will be heard and disposed off in CAT bench in J&K itself,” it said.
The Centre’s statement made it clear that Jammu & Kashmir will not have a separate regular bench for adjudicating service matters of more than 4. 90 lakh employees.
Instead, the matters relating to services and pension of employees will be heard by CAT’s Chandigarh Bench in J&K frequently .
As already reported by Kashmir News Observer on Thursday, 31206 service matters cases from J&K High Court will be transferred to CAT’s Chandigarh bench.
Before re-organization of J&K, the services matter of the employees of the J&K Government were being adjudicated by Kashmir and Jammu wings of High Court.
The Administrative Tribunal Act-1985, which governs creation and functioning of CAT, became applicable to both the UTs from October 31 as per the provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act.
From October 31 onwards, the High Court stopped hearing service matters of the employees and started the process of identifying cases to be transferred to CAT.