Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 21: Division Bench of High Court has upheld the writ court judgment directing the Government to notify the ‘State Forest Service’ under Indian Forest Service recruitment rules and directed the requisite steps be taken on war footing so that the Gazetted members serving in the forestry may come within this cadre.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Puneet Gupta said that there was no validly constituted ‘State Forest Service’ in the State of Jammu and Kashmir (now the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh) and made it clear that appointments by promotion to Indian Forest Service made so far in the absence of validly constituted ‘State Forest Service’ shall remain valid and would not be called in question on that score by anyone.
“State Forest Service for the State of Jammu and Kashmir shall be deemed to have been constituted upto the date on which the judgment was delivered by the Writ Court. Viewed thus, we do not see any reason to find fault with the judgment impugned passed by the Writ Court”, DB said.
The bench also said that the requisite steps, as is directed by the Writ Court, are required to be taken on a war footing, else not only the appellants but other Gazetted members serving in different services of Union Territory connected with forestry, who may come within ‘State Forest Service’ to be constituted in terms of the judgment of the Writ Court, may suffer.
“We are told that Union Territory has already undertaken requisite exercise for constitution of ‘State Forest Service’ and Central Government is likely to be approached for approval shortly. We expect the Union Territory Government to be alive to the situation and would proceed in the matter with the requisite promptitude”, read the judgment.
The Writ Court after notifying the ‘State Forest Service’ in the department had directed to consider the petitioners as members of said forest service. Court also directed to prepare a list of suitable officers for induction into Indian Forest Service (IFS).
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