STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Justice Bansi Lal Bhat of J and K High Court Jammu Wing on Thursday directed Commissioner/ Secretary Rural Development Department (RDD) to appear on the next date of hearing for explaining his position in a petition filed for quashing the order regarding disengagement of Director Social Audit MGNREGA.
The direction came in response to the petition filed by Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah Director Social Audit MGNREGA for quashing the order dated 18th October, 2014 whereby his services were disengaged by Secretary RDD.
Justice Bhat after hearing Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed appearing for the petitioner and Senior AAG S.S Nanda appearing for the State took a serious view of the matter and after going through records, prima-facie observed that it appears that affidavit filed by Secretary RDD is contrary to the records as there is sufficient evidence on record which belies the stand taken by Secretary RDD as the correspondence on the file shows that the petitioner was very much in service upto January 2015 and how his services were disengaged in October, 2014.
Advocate S.S Ahmed also drew the attention of the court to the affidavit filed by Secretary Rural Development Department wherein it was submitted that service record of the petitioner appears to have been lost/ non-traceable due to floods in the valley. Upon this, Ahmed submitted that this affidavit is also false as the petitioner was engaged on 18th October, 2014 and floods came in valley in first week of September and this affidavit was filed just to defeat the earlier interim directions passed by the State High Court whereby directions were issued to pay emoluments/Darbar Move allowance and also to continue the petitioner to serve as Director Social Audit.
Advocate S.S Ahmed submitted that it is quite strange that the petitioner was engaged on 18th October, 2014 vide order No.286-RD&PR of 2014 and he continued to serve till date and was disengaged by antedated order No.286-A RD&PR of 2014 dated 18th October, 2014 just to defeat the earlier interim directions. JNF