SRINAGAR: In a significant legal development, the Ganderbal district court has issued a show-cause notice to Deputy Commissioner Shyambir, questioning why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him under the Contempt of Courts Act. This move follows allegations of non-compliance with a court order and attempts to “personally attack” the presiding judge through “manipulation and fabrication.”

Sub-judge Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi, presiding over the court, passed the order against Shyambir for allegedly failing to comply with a previous court order regarding a land acquisition case. The court had directed the Deputy Commissioner to compensate petitioners whose land was acquired by the government, a decree initially issued in 2022. Despite a subsequent order in January 2024, to enforce this compensation, the Deputy Commissioner reportedly did not act on it. As a consequence, the court issued an order on June 21, to withhold the salaries of Shyambir and other officials involved.

In a more recent order dated July 23, the court stated that Deputy Commissioner Shyambir retaliated against the judicial directive by targeting Judge Qureshi. The judge accused Shyambir of conspiring with other district officials to fabricate charges against him, including an inquiry into land owned by the judge.

“Out of the steps decided to be taken by the contemnor Deputy Commissioner against the Presiding Officer, one step was to frame the Presiding Officer in any fabricated incident,” the court noted.

Judge Qureshi elaborated that Shyambir had discovered two kanals of land in Ganderbal owned by him and allegedly misused his official position to investigate this property without any legitimate grounds. A patwari, acting under Shyambir’s direction, visited the land multiple times, purportedly to demarcate it as part of a scheme to undermine the judge’s credibility.

The court asserted that these actions by Deputy Commissioner Shyambir were intended to “scandalise the Judge who passed a judicial order” and constituted an abuse of power. Such acts, the court argued, are not only contemptuous but also warrant criminal proceedings under the Prevention of Corruption Act for misuse of official position for personal vendettas.

In response to these developments, the court has called for administrative action against Deputy Commissioner Shyambir, recommending his transfer and further investigation into his conduct. The Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, Atul Dulloo, has been apprised of the situation and urged to take appropriate measures.-(KL)