The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh at Srinagar has issued bailable arrest warrants against the Secretary of Nigeen Club, Srinagar, Raja Yaqoob Farooq, for failing to appear before the court despite earlier directions.
The warrants, set at Rs. 10,000 were issued due to contradictory affidavits submitted by the Secretary in a case related to the payment of 7th Pay Commission arrears to an employee, Mir Aftab Yaseen.
The court noted that Raja Yaqoob, in his affidavit filed on December 27, 2024, admitted that the petitioner had been paid four installments of the 7th Pay Commission arrears and that the release of the remaining arrears in six monthly installments had been approved, subject to the availability of funds.
However, in an earlier affidavit dated November 19, 2024, the Secretary had claimed that no decision had been taken by the Nigeen Club regarding the payment of 7th Pay Commission arrears and, therefore, no employee, including the petitioner, was entitled to the benefits.
While hearing the case, a single bench of Justice Sanjay Dhar, as per Kashmir Dot Com, observed, “There is an apparent contradiction between the stands taken by the officer in his two affidavits.”
The court stated that the personal appearance of the Nigeen Club Secretary was imperative to clarify the confusion, especially since he had failed to comply with the court’s earlier order for his appearance.
The court has directed the concerned Station House Officer (SHO) to execute the arrest warrants and ensure Raja Yaqoob’s presence at the next hearing, scheduled for March 3, 2025. (KDC)
