CAT Bench to hear service matters of Central, J&K staff

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 1

The Centre today announced that the service matters of the employees of the Central government and Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh would be heard by the J&K Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

It is clarified that neither the petitioner nor the lawyer needs to go to Chandigarh for filing a petition or appearing before the tribunal — Department of Personnel & Training order

The ministry, in an order dated April 29, had said the CAT’s Chandigarh Bench would have jurisdiction in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab and UTs of Chandigarh, J&K and Ladakh.

“It is clarified that neither the petitioner nor the lawyer needs to go to Chandigarh for filing a petition or appearing before the tribunal,” an order of the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) stated, adding that the term “Chandigarh circuit” was being misinterpreted to mean that the petitioner or lawyer would have to go to Chandigarh, which was not so.

The statement said, “All service matters of the Central government and UT employees of J&K and Ladakh will be heard and disposed of in the CAT Bench in J&K itself.” “It is reiterated that earlier also the CAT Bench used to hold its sittings in the state of J&K to dispose of service matters related to Central government employees,” it added.

“The only difference now is that it will also be disposing of matters related to employees of the UT and therefore will have more frequent sittings in J&K,” the government clarified in the order.

According to the order, the registration of cases can also be done either online or at the CAT’s secretariat office, which will be set up locally after the Union Territory government provides an appropriate facility. “Disposal of cases through CAT in UT of J&K will ensure fair and objective delivery of justice,” the statement read.