Srinagar: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Monday stayed the enforcement of a key provision in the Jammu & Kashmir Revenue (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules, which required candidates to possess graduation with knowledge of Urdu as the exclusive language qualification for the post of Naib Tehsildar.
The tribunal’s interim order came in response to a petition challenging the language requirement.
In its order, the CAT directed the Jammu & Kashmir Service Selection Board to accept applications from candidates who possess a graduation with knowledge of any of the five official languages listed under the 2020 Act—Hindi, Kashmiri, English, Dogri, and Urdu.
The Tribunal has also issued a notice to the respondents, directing them to file their reply within four weeks in response to the plea challenging the mandatory Urdu qualification for NT posts.
Earlier, the BJP legislative party on Monday staged a protest outside the Civil Secretariat and Assembly here, demanding the revocation of a government order mandating Urdu as a compulsory language for the Naib Tehsildar recruitment examination in Jammu and Kashmir.
The BJP has been opposing the move across Jammu for over three weeks, holding protests and rallies across at the district level. The part has warned of launching a region-wide agitation if the order is not withdrawn.
The MLAs of the saffron party arrived at the Civil Secretariat in the morning and staged a ‘dharna’, calling the order discriminatory and detrimental to the interests of Jammu’s youth.
Carrying placards highlighting “injustice against Jammu’s youth, Dogras and other official languages” of the union territory, the BJP leaders raised slogans against the government and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, accusing the part of trying to create unrest in the region.
“We are staging a dharna against the decision to make Urdu mandatory for Naib Tehsildar examinations in Jammu and Kashmir, which is not acceptable to us,” BJP MLA and former minister Sham Lal Sharma said.
He said, “Kashmir-centric parties, particularly the National Conference, have been discriminating against this region for decades. This is a fresh example of it.”
Taking a swipe at the National Conference governments for “decades-long discrimination against Jammu and its people”, he said “we thought their discriminatory approach had changed after 2019, but it continues even today.”
Issuing such an order is a clear attempt to deny jobs to Jammu’s youth in the examination. It also discriminates against other official languages, he alleged.
“By making Urdu mandatory for such important posts in the government, the NC rulers have overruled previous provisions where knowing the language Urdu was not compulsory,” Sharma further said.
“We are holding protests to get it revoked. Youth are already on the streets protesting. The matter has been brought to the notice of the Lieutenant Governor as well and memorandums have been submitted through deputy commissioners, but nothing has been done so far,” he said.
Sharma said that 14 BJP MLAs had even met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over the issue. “His approach was positive. Still, no action has been taken, and tomorrow is the last day to apply for the posts.”
“They are trying to create unrest in Jammu and are forcing us to go on agitation. All 28 BJP MLAs have started it with today’s two-hour-long token dharna,” he added.
The former minister further said that the party will soon announce its next course of action.
“We are warning the government not to play with the sentiments of the people of Jammu, who are fed up with the discriminatory attitude of Kashmir-centric rulers,” he said.
Other BJP MLAs also warned of an agitation if the Urdu language requirement is not withdrawn for the examination advertised by the government.
“Making Urdu a compulsory subject in recruitment for Naib Tehsildars is a gross injustice to the youth of the Jammu region,” BJP MLA Yudhvir Sethi said, adding that such injustice will not be tolerated.
The MLAs strongly opposed the decision and said it was a “deliberate attempt” to marginalise the youth of the Jammu region.
“This is a calculated move to deprive Jammu’s youth of equal opportunities,” Sethi added.
The imposition of Urdu, he said, reflects the divisive and exclusionary policies once pursued by the Omar Abdullah-led government.
“We will not allow the repetition of such injustice,” he said and added that the move is a clear violation of equal status accorded to multiple official languages, including Dogri, Hindi, Kashmiri, Urdu, and English.
