Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 8: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Bar Association Kishtwar, Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal today directed Commissioner Secretary Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Department and Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar to submit the status regarding the shifting of Deputy Commissioner’s office from old complex to the new complex and consequent shifting of the District Court Complex to the old Deputy Commissioner’s office complex in terms of letter dated December, 27, 2011 issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
After hearing Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed with Advocate Sheikh Najeeb Ashraf appearing for the petitioner-Association and Deputy Advocate General P S Chandel for Law Department and AAG Ehsan Mirza for Deputy Commissioner, Kishtwar, the Division Bench issued notices to Secretary, Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar, which were accepted by Deputy AG P S Chandel and AAG Ehsan Mirza.
Earlier, Advocate Ahmed submitted that all courts in Kishtwar continue to function in the old existing structure constructed as back as in the year 1963 and the existing District Court Complex is not sufficient to accommodate the courts properly and the Judicial Officers/Lawyers/ Litigants/Prosecution/Public at large are facing acute shortage of space and in all the same is adversely affecting the administration of justice in a remote/ hilly district of Kishtwar.
He submitted that a delegation of petitioner Association met with the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on December 16, 2011 at TRC Kishtwar, who gave a passionate hearing and issued on spot directions to the District Administration that the Court Complex in Kishtwar shall be shifted to the existing Deputy Commissioner’s office complex and the Deputy Commissioner’s office would shift to the new complex.
“The new building of Deputy Commissioner’s office in Kishtwar is ready but offices are not being shifted which is subsequently delaying the shifting of the District Court Complex”, he further said, adding “the categoric directions of the Chief Minister are not being complied with and on the other hand the petitioner-Association has reliably learnt that the DIG Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range and Senior Superintendent of Police Kishtwar have declared their intentions to shift the office of the SSP Kishtwar instead of District Court Complex to the existing building of DC office”.
After considering the submissions of both the sides, Division Bench directed Commissioner/Secretary Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar to submit the status regarding the shifting of Deputy Commissioner’s office Complex, Kishtwar from old complex to the new complex and consequent upon shifting of the District Court Complex to the Old Deputy Commissioner’s office complex in terms of letter dated December, 27, 2011 issued by the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
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