Urdu being communalised: Mehbooba Mufti on CAT order for J&K recruitment

SRINAGAR: Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said it was “deeply unfortunate” that the judiciary appears to be “influenced by divisive politics”.

Mufti’s remarks came after the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) stayed the operation of the relevant provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Revenue (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules of 2009, insofar as they mandate graduation with the knowledge of Urdu as the minimum qualification for the post of Naib Tehsildar.

Emphasising that Urdu, a recognised official language, was being “unfairly communalised”, the PDP president pointed out that revenue records and administrative work in J&K continue to be maintained in Urdu, and “it is only logical that applicants for the post of Naib Tehsildar possess basic proficiency in the language”.

The former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir stated that this requirement is based entirely on administrative efficiency, rather than any intention to create divisiveness.

The CAT order came after an earlier order mandating Urdu as a compulsory language for the Naib Tehsildar recruitment examination sparked outrage in the Jammu region over the past month, with the BJP leading the protests and rallies, seeking revocation of the “discriminatory order”.

Citing the order, the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) on Tuesday deferred the recruitment process for naib tehsildar posts in the Revenue Department.

“It is hereby informed that in view of the interim direction passed by the Central Administrative Tribunal Jammu… the process of inviting applications for the post of Naib Tehsildar (issued on June 9) is hereby deferred till further intimation/orders,” the JKSSB said in a notice.(Agencies)