J&K HC summons IAS officer in criminal contempt case

Srinagar, Aug 2 (PTI) The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on Friday summoned Ganderbal deputy commissioner Shyambir Singh in an alleged criminal contempt case and directed him to appear before it in person on August 5.

A bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Sanjeev Kumar directed Singh to answer the charges of criminal contempt against him in person.

“Issue notice to the contemnor, Mr Shyambir by Humdast. The contemnor shall appear in person before this court on Monday ie August 5 at 11:00 am sharp,” the court said.

The high court also appointed senior counsel RA Jan as amicus curiae to assist in the proceedings.

The proceedings against Singh, a 2018-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer serving as deputy commissioner of Ganderbal since 2022, were initiated after allegations surfaced that he had retaliated against Ganderbal sub-judge Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi and allegedly abused his official position to intimidate and harass him.

Qureshi had passed an order to attach Singh’s salary due to non-compliance with an October 2022 judgment.

According to the sub-judge, the deputy commissioner allegedly misused his position to harass him, including unauthorised visits to his property by government officials.

This was perceived as an attempt to undermine judicial authority and retaliate against the court’s decision.

In ordering the criminal contempt proceedings last month, Qureshi also recommended that the Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary take administrative action against Singh under the Government Conduct Rules, 1971, describing him as a “constant potential threat” to the judiciary.

In its order, the bench said any attempt by Singh to avoid service of summons or his non-appearance shall be viewed seriously and the court shall resort to coercive proceedings to secure his presence.