The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has started criminal contempt proceedings against Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner Shyambir Singh, who has been accused of harassing a judge over a land acquisition case.
The court took action after Ganderbal Chief Judicial Magistrate Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi recommended contempt proceedings against Singh for allegedly not complying with an earlier order and attempting to "personally attack" him through "manipulation and fabrication".
A bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Sanjeev Kumar directed Singh to answer the charges of criminal contempt against him in person. "Issue notice to the contemnor, Mr Shyambir by Humdast. The contemnor shall appear in person before this court on Monday i.e. August 5 at 11:00 am sharp," the court said.
The proceedings against Singh, a 2018-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, were initiated after allegations surfaced that he retaliated against Ganderbal sub-judge Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi and abused his official position to intimidate and harass him.
Qureshi had passed an order to attach Singh's salary due to non-compliance with an October 2022 judgement. The sub-judge alleged that Singh misused his position to harass him, including unauthorised visits to his property by government officials.
This was perceived as an attempt to undermine judicial authority and retaliate against the court's decision.
In ordering the criminal contempt proceedings last month, Qureshi also recommended that the Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary take administrative action against Singh under the Government Conduct Rules, 1971, describing him as a "constant potential threat" to the judiciary.
The court warned that any attempt by Singh to avoid service of summons or his non-appearance shall be viewed seriously and the court shall resort to coercive proceedings to secure his presence.
