Court raps top J&K officials for delaying compensation to civilian

Srinagar, Aug 20: The High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh has pulled up senior government officials for willfully delaying compensation to a civilian who lost his arm in a cross-firing incident, terming their conduct as contemptuous.
Justice Rahul Bharti, while hearing a contempt petition filed by Jehangir Ahmad Khan, observed that both the Principal Secretary to the Home Department and the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla had repeatedly evaded compliance of a 2023 writ court order that had directed payment of Rs 10 lakh compensation to the victim.
The court noted that despite the writ court’s direction in June 2023, and the dismissal of a belated appeal in February 2025, the officials failed to release the remaining Rs 5 lakh of the compensation amount. “If left to the timing of the contemnors, then payment of rupees five lakh… will take place until the cows come home,” the order remarked.
The court also recalled that even when ordered to deposit Rs 5 lakh during appeal proceedings, the officials delayed compliance, prompting the Division Bench to observe that they were “literally mocking” the court. The deposit was eventually made through a cheque drawn on the Red Cross Society.
On Wednesday, the court imposed costs of Rs 10,000, recoverable equally from the salaries of the Principal Secretary Home and the DC Baramulla, directing the amount to be deposited with the Registrar Judicial Srinagar before the next hearing on September 1. The judge further warned that continued non-compliance could invite their personal appearance in court.
The case pertains to petitioner Jehangir Ahmad Khan, who suffered permanent disability after his right arm was amputated following a cross-firing incident. Despite multiple judicial directions, authorities have delayed full compensation, forcing the victim to pursue contempt proceedings. [KNT]