The BJP on Monday welcomed the decision of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) for staying the government order making Urdu mandatory for applying to the post of Naib Tehsildar in Jammu and Kashmir.
The CAT directed the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) to accept applications from candidates who possess a graduation with knowledge of any of the five official languages — Hindi, Kashmiri, English, Dogri, and Urdu.
The Bharatiya Janata Party legislative party on Monday held a dharna in front of the Civil Secretariat and Assembly to lodge their protest and press for the revocation of the government order making Urdu mandatory for Naib Tehsildar examinations in Jammu and Kashmir.
“We welcome the decision of the CAT to stay this illegal and discriminatory order of the National Conference government. It is our victory”, Senior High Court lawyer and MLA R S Pathania told reporters here.
The bench comprising Member (A) Ram Mohan Johri and Member (J) Rajinder Singh Dogra had given the verdict on the matter.
The applicants, represented by Senior Advocate Abhinav Sharma and Advocate Abhirash Sharma, challenged the Urdu language condition as being “ultra vires the Constitution of India,” citing violations of the principles of equality and non-discrimination.
CAT issued notices to the respondents, directing them to file their reply within four weeks from the date of this order. The next date of hearing is fixed for August 13.
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BJP MLA said that it is good news that CAT has stayed the government order on Urdu. “All candidates can now file their applications for the post of Naib Tehsildars. There is no discrimination on the basis of language “, he said.
