The elections of Press club are long over because of delay in re-registration process
The Jammu and Kashmir administration has suspended the registration of Kashmir Press Club citing adverse report by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of J&K police.
The administration had issued re-registration of Kashmir Press Club just two weeks ago but decided to withdraw it a day after the journalist body announced to hold elections of the Press Club.
The elections of Press club are long over because of delay in re-registration process. The administration had asked the KPC to apply for the fresh registration in July last year.
The management of KPC had announced to hold elections on February 15. With registration suspended, the elections are now effectively scuttled.
Since March last year, the Information Department has also not issued accreditation cards to journalists in Jammu and Kashmir. This is for the first time when no journalist working in Jammu and Kashmir has been issued accreditation card.
According to an order issued by Registrar of Societies, a letter from Additional District Magistrate Srinagar stated that the verification certificate in favour of the management of the Press Club has been put on hold.
"It has been informed that the non-involvement/verification of Character and Antecedents issued on 24.12.2021 in respect of members of Managing Body of "Kashmir Press Club has been kept on hold, on the basis of report received from CID" reads an order issued by Registrar of Societies.
The order says re-registration of KPC was issued on December 29 based on the verification by Additional District Magistrate Srinagar on December 24,2021. According to the order, the magistrate shot off a letter to Registrar of Societies on January 5 asking him to put the registration in abeyance.
Since August 2019, after J&K was stripped of its statehood and special constitutional status, elections of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and High Court Bar Association have been scuttled due to certain objections by the administration.