IAS Officer Faces Criminal Contempt Case For Allegedly Threatening Judge

The J&K High Court has summoned Ganderbal District Commissioner Shyambir Singh in an alleged criminal contempt case.

A bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Sanjeev Kumar directed the official 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 ie August 5 at 11 a.m. sharp," it said.

The high court also appointed senior counsel Riyaz Ahmad Jan as amicus curiae to assist the court in the proceedings.

The proceedings against Mr Singh, a 2018-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer serving as Deputy Commissioner of Ganderbal since 2022, were initiated after allegations surfaced that he had retaliated against Ganderbal sub-judge Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi and abused his official position to intimidate and harass the judge.

Mr Qureshi had passed an order to attach Mr Singh's salary due to non-compliance with an October 2022 judgment. According to the sub-judge, the Deputy Commissioner allegedly 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, Mr Qureshi also recommended that the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary take administrative action against Shyambir Singh under the Government Conduct Rules, 1971, describing him as a "constant potential threat" to the judiciary.

In its order, the bench said 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. The sub-judge had attached the salary of the officer after he did not comply with a decree for payment of compensation by the court to an aggrieved party.
 

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