Adhocism mars quality of literary activities by Academy
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Aug 18: As the Government fails to formulate Rules of selection criteria for filling up the post of Secretary Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL), prolonged absence of a permanent Secretary is allegedly affecting quality of the events by the central agency, which is entrusted with the role of promotion and coordination for the literary and cultural activities under one authority in the J&K Union Territory.
Even after the lapse of three years since the Supreme Court ruling, which upheld the order of Division Bench of J&K High Court for framing the terms and conditions, including eligibility criteria for selection of Secretary JKAACL, no rules for the same have been framed till date.
The Division Bench had directed that for initiating the process of selection for the post of Secretary JKAACL, the qualifications, experience and other terms and conditions of service besides the process to be followed for the selection should be prescribed before advertisement for the post is issued.
In absence of required procedure and eligibility criteria, no permanent Secretary could be appointed since 2018 with the result functioning of the Cultural Academy has been suffering, particularly the quality of literary and cultural activities in Jammu Kashmir.
In August 2020, a bench of Supreme Court comprising Justice Indu Malhotra and Justice Ajay Rastogi had dismissed the Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir against the judgment dated October 22, 2019 passed by the Division Bench of J&K High Court whereby the selection process for filling up of post of Secretary Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages was quashed.
The Division Bench had further directed that in case the process of selection is to be initiated, the qualifications, experience and other terms and conditions of service besides the process to be followed for the selection be prescribed before advertisement is issued.
Dr Arvinder Singh Amn, then Additional Secretary J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) had filed the writ petition seeking quashing of Advertisement Notice No.DIP/J-12968/18 dated March 01, 2019 issued by Government inviting applications for the post of Secretary, JKAACL without laying down any terms and conditions of eligibility and without disclosing any criteria of selection /shortlisting by the Search Committee appointed by the General Administration Department. The petitioner had sought a direction to the Government to formulate and prescribe the terms and conditions including eligibility conditions for filling the post of Secretary JKAACL as the existing rules are silent with regard to the eligibility conditions for the post of Secretary.
However, even after the lapse of three years since the Supreme Court upheld the Division Bench order, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has failed to formulate rules for the qualifications, experience and other terms and conditions of service besides the process to be followed for the selection of Secretary JKAACL.
In absence of the rules, the Academy is being run on adhoc arrangement with Government bureaucrats running the show as Incharge Secretary, thus allegedly resulting into compromising with the quality of art and cultural activities.
“The bureaucrats don’t know technicalities of art and culture and assigning them the charge of Cultural Academy is just like a Pilot holding the charge of newsroom and instructing how to draft the news items or SHO of a Police Station conducting a poetic meet,” said a prominent literary personality on the condition of anonymity.
The adhoc approach of the Government towards the Academy can be further gauged from the fact that almost two- third posts, including key posts of three Additional Secretaries in JKAACL are lying vacant.
Posts of Chief Editor of Dogri, Kashmiri and Urdu as well as two posts of Deputy Secretary are also lying vacant with the result entire functioning of the cultural Academy has got virtually paralyzed, claimed an insider.
“No doubt cultural and literary activities are still being held, but there is no standardization and quality of the work in absence of a permanent Secretary, who is supposed to be a master in the field of literary or art work shaping a vision for the Academy,” said another prominent writer and critic. Further, he added, the Academy has virtually turned into an extension of Information Department as no efforts are being made for promotion of innovative works in literary field.
Pertinent to mention that JKAACL is a registered society as a cultural organization for the promotion of regional languages, arts, and culture in Jammu and Kashmir. Founded in 1958 by the J&K Government, it was considered an autonomous corporate body until 2019, when the erstwhile State was re-organised as the Union Territory. In 2021, the Government of J&K converted the academy to a “society,” registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and the decision was intended to give maximum freedom to the institution to work as an independent institution after 2019.
The Society’s official objectives include to promote co-operation, translation, and cultural exchange in arts and culture; to publish writings on arts, culture, and related subjects, including encyclopedias; and to promote events and awards. It is the central agency in the matters of interaction and co-operation between Jammu and Kashmir and the Central and other State Academies.
It involves itself in the areas of language and literature, Music, Dance and other performing arts, including Theatre Visual, creative and fine arts.
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