CAT issues Rs. 50,000 bailable warrants against IUST VC, Registrar

23/07/2026

JAMMU, Jul 22: The Central Admin-istrative Tribunal (CAT), Srinagar Bench, has issued bailable warrants of Rs. 50,000 each against the Vice Chancellor and Registrar of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Awantipora, for their failure to appear before it through virtual mode in a contempt proceeding.
A Bench comprising Member (Administrative) Prasant Kumar and Member (Judicial) M.S. Latif directed the Superintendent of Police, Police District Awantipora, to execute the warrants against IUST Vice Chancellor Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo and Registrar Shamim Ahmad Shah and secure their presence before the Tribunal on July 23 at 3 pm.
The order came on a contempt petition filed by Dr Sheikh Mohd Imran alleging non-compliance with an earlier direction of the Tribunal.
The Bench noted that on July 20 it had directed the Deputy Advocate General to inform the Vice Chancellor about the proceedings and asked both officials to submit a compliance report and appear through virtual mode on July 21.
When the matter was taken up, Deputy Advocate General Rais-ud-Din Ganai moved applications seeking exemption from personal appearance, permission to file a compliance report and an affidavit on behalf of the Vice Chancellor.
The exemption application stated that the Vice Chancellor and Registrar were required to participate in meetings of the university's selection committee throughout the week and that their absence could disrupt the recruitment process.
Rejecting the explanation, the Tribunal observed that the meetings could have been deferred for 10 to 15 minutes to enable the officials to join the proceedings virtually and respect the authority of the judicial process.
The Bench also pointed out defects in the affidavit filed with the exemption application, observing that though it carried the Registrar's signature and seal, it did not specify who had made the solemn affirmation and was not properly attested in accordance with the CAT Rules of Practice, 1993.
"Disregarding the court's order may seem bold, but the shadows of its consequences are long and cold," the Tribunal observed.
The Bench said contempt was a serious legal infraction affecting the sanctity of judicial proceedings and could undermine public confidence in the justice delivery system.
It further observed that vague or unsupported assertions could not constitute sufficient grounds for exemption from appearance, particularly when the officials had been informed in advance and were required to join only through virtual mode.
The Tribunal said it had prima facie reason to believe that the contemnors were "subverting compliance" with its order. It, however, clarified that the observations should not be construed as an expression of opinion on the merits of the main case.
The Registry was directed to immediately transmit the warrants to the SP Awantipora for execution and constitute a Special Bench to hear the matter on July 23.
Advocates S.A. Makroo, Irfan Rasool, Danish and Rahil Noor appeared for the petitioner, while Deputy Advocate General Rais-ud-Din Ganai represented the respondents.

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