Early Times Report
srinagar, Mar 11: A division bench of the high court today directed Chairman J&K Special Tribunal to ensure hearing of cases at Srinagar from Monday. "The people of Kashmir Valley cannot be left without any redressal forum, which is created by the statute. Till such time the members are posted for hearing the cases at Srinagar, the chairman J&K Special Tribunal is directed to hear the cases at Srinagar either himself or send a member from Jammu for hearing of cases in the week commencing from March 14," a division bench of the court comprising Justice M H Attar and Justices B S Walia said. It also directed its registry to convey the order to the chairman of the Tribunal "forthwith". The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation and the directions followed submissions by advocate M A Qayoom that despite directions by the court last week, the J&K Special Tribunal was still not functional at Srinagar.
The counsel, representing the petitioners, said that neither chairman of the tribunal was holding the court nor executive or judicial member were available at Srinagar for the last nearly three months. "Due to the non-functioning of the tribunal at Srinagar, the litigant people are suffering very badly," he added. Last week also, the division bench had directed government to fill up the post of President and a Member of state Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission within three weeks, observing that the executive wing of the government was duty bound to provide redressal mechanism to the people for which legislative enactment is already in force. "The litigant public cannot be left without redressal forum. Inaction on part of the state government in not supplying the vacancies is tantamount to denial of the justice to the people of the state," the division bench had said and directed the state government through chief secretary to take immediate steps for supplying the vacancies of President and Member of the commission. Meanwhile, in another direction, the court directed Managing Director SICOP to make lifts functional in Sanat Ghar building at Bemina within a week's time. |
