Anantnag court sends senior JKAS officer to one-week judicial custody

Srinagar, Oct 10 (PTI) A senior government officer has been sent to one-week judicial custody by a local court in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district for his failure to comply with its order.

The court of sub-judge Feroz Ahmad Khan on Thursday sent Mohammad Rouf Rehman, a Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Services officer and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Verinag Development Authority, to judicial custody till October 15, 2025.

The judge ordered the superintendent of district jail and Anantnag station house officer to produce Rehman before the court via video conferencing on October 15.

Following the court order, police detained Rehman and escorted him to a local hospital for medical examination before lodging him as per procedure.

The order came during the hearing of a petition filed by Hamidullah Bawani citing non-payment of compensation awarded to him by a Lok Adalat.

The court had, on September 9, expressed displeasure over non-compliance, noting that the CEO had "not even bothered to reply to the show cause notice issued by virtue of an order on March 4 this year".

The court said that despite serving the earlier order, the officer has not furnished any cause. This implies that he has no cause to show why he shall not be arrested and detained in a civil prison for non-payment of compensation passed in Lok Adalat in favour of Hamidullah Bawani, a resident of Mir Maidan, Dooru.

The decree holder had sought execution of the award passed in the National Lok Adalat on March 14, 2015, and enforcement of a subsequent order dated November 17, 2018.

During proceedings last month, counsel for the deputy commissioner and collector land acquisition, Anantnag, appearing as Judgment Debtors No 2 and 3, submitted that "it is Judgment Debtor No 4 (CEO) who has to deposit the payment as per the decree passed by this court." Taking note of the submissions, the court held that "it is Judgment Debtor No 4 who has to deposit the payment to the decree holder." Meanwhile, Rehman, who has been lodged in Kehribal district jail, was on Friday medically examined by on-duty medical officer in accordance with the jail rules, officials said.

After the examination, the doctor referred the prisoner to Government Medical College in Anantnag for specialised treatment. He was shifted to the hospital under proper escort, officials added. PTI SSB RUK RUK