STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Chief Justice Bader Durrez Ahmed and Justice Sanjeev Kumar on Wednesday issued notices to Khursheed Ahmed Shah Commissioner/ Secretary to Government of J&K General Administration Depar tment, Raj Kumar Bhagat Commissioner/ Secretary to Government of J&K Animal/Sheep Husbandry Department, Baseer Khan Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Hemant Kumar Sharma Divisional Commissioner Jammu in a contempt petition filed by an NGO Save Animal Value Environment (SAVE) through its Chairperson Devinder Kaur Madaan alias Rumpy Madaan seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the aforementioned officials for their willful/intentional defiance of Judgment dated October 11, 2017 passed by the Division Bench of High Court of J&K (Jammu Wing) in WPPIL No.23/2017 titled Save Animal Value Environment (SAVE) versus State of J&K and others, whereby directions had been issued for constitution of Societies for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals in State of Jammu and Kashmir and the said Societies were to be registered under Jammu and Kashmir Registration of Societies Act, 1990 (1934 AD).
When this contempt petition came up for hearing Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed with Advocates Suraj Singh and Supriya Chouhan submitted that in Jammu Division District Societies have been constituted in all 10 Districts but these societies have not been registered under the J&K Registration of Societies Act and on the other hand the similar societies have not been constituted for Kashmir Province as well as for Ladakh Region in compliance to Govt. Order No.1178-GAD of 2012 dated October 19, 2012.
Advocate S.S. Ahmed further submitted that despite the expiry of more than four months there is no headway in the matter and the petitioner NGO also served a reminder upon the aforementioned officials on January 29, 2018 for compliance of the directions passed by the Division Bench on October 11, 2017 but till date the District Societies for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have not been constituted with respect to Kashmir and Ladakh Regions.
Consequently, AAG Rohit Kapoor accepted the notices with directions to file the statement of facts/compliance report on or before April 16, 2018.