Srinagar:(KDC) In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing legal battle between a Ganderbal judge and the district’s Deputy Commissioner, the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir has issued a summons to the latter to appear personally before it on August 5.
A division bench of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Sanjeev Kumar, has issued a summon to Deputy Commissioner Shyambir in a contempt case.
The High Court has taken a serious view of the matter and has directed the Deputy Commissioner to appear in person on 5th August at 11:00Am Sharp.
Any attempt by him to avoid service of summons or his non-appearance shall be viewed seriously by the court and the court shall resort to coercive proceedings to secure his presence, reads an order, a copy of which lies with Kashmir Dot Com.
The court has also appointed senior advocate R.A. Jan as amicus curiae to assist it in the case.
The order comes after the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ganderbal, referred a contempt case against Deputy Commissioner Shyambir to the High Court.
The lower court had earlier initiated contempt proceedings against the DC for allegedly interfering with the judicial process and attempting to intimidate the judge.
Pertinently, the controversy erupted when a Sub-Judge Ganderbal issued an order attaching the salary of several government officials, including the Deputy Commissioner, in connection with an execution case.
The Deputy Commissioner is alleged to have initiated actions that were seen as attempts to intimidate the judge. (KDC)