Srinagar, Dec 28: The High Court has directed the Service Selection Recruitment Board not to finalize the selection process of the newly announced posts after the ban on inter-district recruitment was challenged in the court.
Court of Justice Sunil Hali while allowing the SSRB to go ahead with the selection process directed the Board that the process should not be finalized till the next hearing, which will be in first week of February.
Court directed the state Government to file objections within four weeks.
The Tribal United Forum (TUF), an organization of Gujjars, through a writ petition challenged the Jammu & Kashmir Civil Services Decentralization and Recruitment Act-2010 banning inter-district recruitment except Schedule Caste category in the state and rules framed thereunder vide SRO-375 along with the advertisement of SSRB issued in pursuance to the Act.
The TUF challenged the Section 13(3) of JKCSDR Act and 13(5) of the SRO-375, which allow the Schedule Castes to apply for the reserved vacancies irrespective of their residence in the state and disallow the Scheduled Tribes and others from applying for recruitment outside their district of residence.
The petitioner prayed before the court for the quashment of the said sections of the Act and rules thereunder which debarred the Scheduled Tribes and others to get jobs through inter-district recruitment. “These sections are unconstitutional on the grounds that the fundamental rights of Scheduled Tribe communities have been denied by the Government which otherwise they enjoy along with the Scheduled Castes,” the petitioner said.
The state Legislature this year passed the JKCSDR Act, which bans inter-district recruitment in the state but allows only Scheduled Castes to get jobs in other districts. On May 10, the Act received the assent of the Governor.
Interestingly, the SSRB recently advertised more than five thousand posts in different Government departments for selection, which was challenged before the court by the TUF.
Meanwhile, the Advocate General of the state, Ishaq Qadri told Greater Kashmir that state Government will take the issue seriously. He said the Chief Secretary, the Law Secretary, the Commissioner Secretary General Administration Department (GAD), the Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Department and the Chairman Service Selection Recruitment Board would meet in next week. “We will challenge the petition,” he said.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 29 Dec 2010 00:00:00 IST