SC agrees to hear plea alleging ‘backdoor appointments’ in judicial institutions in J&K

The Supreme Court Friday agreed to hear a plea that alleged that relatives of former judges and staff were favoured in the appointments in judicial institutions and courts in Jammu and Kashmir.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima Kohli issued notice and sought a response from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on its administrative side, saying it should be vetted by the Chief Justice of the High Court.

The bench said the response to the plea shall be filed within six weeks.

The PIL filed by an NGO ‘Jammu and Kashmir People’s Forum has alleged that several qualified youths were not considered by the High Court in appointments for several administrative posts to various judicial institutions including the judicial academy, legal services authorities, and courts from district level to the High Court.

The plea claimed that instead of going by the regular recruitment process, contractual workers and daily wagers who were a decade back have since been absorbed against the vacancies as regular employees without affording a chance for the general public.

It said that reservation rules were also bypassed by the High Court even though many of the posts were not sanctioned.

The plea gave names of the relatives of the judges from district to High Court level, court staff, and bar association members to canvas the argument that favour was granted in the appointment process.

It sought directions for a probe by an independent agency and to the High Court administration to not make any further “backdoor appointments” in judicial establishments like the state judicial academy, legal services authorities, and those recruited under the E-Court mission.