Setting up of UTs: Govt recalls officials from commissions

Srinagar, October 16

In run up to the establishment of union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the government has recalled officials from various commissions, which will cease to exist due to repealing of related state laws.

From the premier institution of the State Accountability Commission (SAC) to the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), the government has recalled officials from various bodies as the new union territories are going to become functional on November 1.

“Dozens of employees have been recalled to their parent departments from various commissions as the new union territory is coming into force on November 1. Most of these employees belong to the Law Department,” a senior officer in the Law Department told The Tribune.

As per the Re-organisation Act, 2019, under which J&K was bifurcated into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh – at least 166 existing state laws shall remain in force in the two union territories while 153 state laws have been repealed along with 11 Governor’s Act. The SAC is headed by former Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh Bashir Ahmad Khan and the SHRC is headed by Justice Bilal Nazki. “Both Khan and Nazki are unlikely to get any post in the Union Territory,” he said.

The official said most of these commissions have failed to meet their objectives mainly because of political interference or incompetence of their chairpersons. “They (commissions) were turned into toothless tigers by successive governments. Major challenges like corruption and human rights violations have not stopped despite having commissions in place to deal with them,” the Law Department official said.

The Centre had constituted national commissions from time to time, but their jurisdiction was not extended to Jammu and Kashmir because of its special status.

With the abrogation of Article 370 through a presidential order on August 5, several important national commissions would have jurisdiction over the two newly created union territories now.

However, the Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Commission, and the Jammu and Kashmir State Commission for Backward Classes will continue to function as they don’t fall in the list of state laws which are going to be repealed. The J&K Public Service Commission will continue to be the recruiting agency for various posts in Jammu and Kashmir while recruitments in Ladakh will be governed by the Union Public Service Commission. — TNS