Right to Information Act, सूचना का अधिकार अधिनियम, جاننے کا حق: RTI Reveals 938 Cases Pending Against JKSSB in High Court

RTI Reveals JKSSB Entangled in 952 Court Cases

Jammu, 19/Dec/2017: Constituted to provide equitable opportunities of employment to the educated youth of the State, the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board have unfortunately entangled itself more in legal battles than to concentrate on developing a fair mechanism of recruitment.

Information received through an application under Right to Information Act reveals that there are over 950 cases pending in Srinagar and Jammu bench of Jammu and Kashmir High Court and Supreme Court of India involving Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board including 12 special leave petitions filed by the board itself before the Superior Courts.

Vide his office letter no. SSB/Adm/RTI/978/17/992 dated 30/11/2017 which is originally despatched on 15/Dec/2017, Sanjay Gupta, Public Information Officer of the JKSSB has informed the applicant Raman Sharma, the RTI activist that as on date there are 938 cases pending against the board in the Srinagar and Jammu bench of the J & K High Court, two cases are also pending against the recruitment panel in the Supreme Court of India. Interestingly, the board itself have also filed 12 Special leave petitions in the High Court and Supreme Court.

These legal combats by the board are not only consuming the precious time of the recruitment panel but also devouring lot of money, during the last three financial years i.e. 2014-15 to 2016-17, the board have spent twenty-six lac sixty one thousand nine hundred and eighty four rupees as legal expenses to fight the cases in the courts. This include 19,62,280 rupees paid by the board to the lawyers as fees and 699704 spent as other legal expenses.

It is pertinent to mention here that JK Services Selection Board has been constituted in exercise of powers conferred by Provision of Section 124 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and also in the light of Section 15 of J&K Civil Services Decentralisation and Recruitment Act 2010, the board is responsible for making all kinds of non-gazetted appointments in different departments of the state government within time limit with impartiality, objectivity and efficiency using technological innovations.

In the RTI reply it has also been informed that the total annual budget of the board during the FY 2014-15 was Rs. 606.89 Lac, FY 2015-16 it was Rs 716.26 Lac, in the FY 2016-17 it stood as Rs 730.12 Lac and in 2017-18 it is Rs. 815.45 Lac.

It is pertinent to mention here that last month, in another RTI reply received by applicant Raman Sharma it was revealed that against Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Commissioner, JKPSC there are 508 cases pending before J & K High Court and Supreme Court and it was also established that JKPSC have spent Rs. 34,83,200 as legal expenditure to fight these cases.

After the RTI revelation about the JKPSC and JKSSB, the applicant Sharma have appealed the Chief Justice of J & K High Court to constitute special benches or make some other arrangements so that these huge pending cases involving JKSSB and JKSPC are cleared expeditiously because these cases involve aspiring young educated youth of the state.

A. Kindly intimate total number of cases pending against the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission in Jammu and Kashmir High Court as on Date.

B. Kindly intimate total number of cases pending against the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission in honorable Supreme Court as on date.

C. Intimate Total number of cases pending in Honourable J & K High Court wherein the JKPSC has been arrayed as respondent. (as on date)

D. Intimate Total number of cases pending in Honourable Supreme Court wherein the JKPSC has been arrayed as respondent. (as on date)

E. Intimate Total number of cases/petitions filed by the JKPSC as an appellant in the honourable J & K High Court during the last 3 years.

F. Intimate Total number of cases/petitions filed by the JKPSC as an appellant in the honourable Supreme Court during the last 3 years.

G. Intimate Total amount of money spent by the JKPSC in paying only fees to its lawyers during the last 3 financial years. Give Financial year wise information

H. Intimate Total amount of money spent by the JKPSC in meeting other legal expenses other than the fees of the Lawyers during the last 3 financial years. Give Financial year wise information.

I. Kindly intimate the amount of total annual budget of the JKPSC in year 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18

J. After getting all the information, the applicant may also inspect the records/bills related to the payment to the lawyers, therefore the PIO is requested to intimate me the convenient date for inspection of records and taking extracts and notes thereof. (Ref sec 2 of J & K RTI Act 2009, )