In a major relief to aspirants across Jammu and Kashmir, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Jammu Bench, has stayed the enforcement of a provision in the Jammu and Kashmir Revenue (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules, 2009, that mandated “Graduation with knowledge of Urdu” as a compulsory qualification for the post of Naib Tehsildar.
According to the order issued by a bench comprising Member (A) Ram Mohan Johri and Member (J) Rajinder Singh Dogra, 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.
The applicants argued that the 2009 rules unfairly excluded otherwise eligible candidates who are proficient in one or more of the five official languages recognised under the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020 namely Urdu, Hindi, English, Dogri, and Kashmiri.
The Tribunal observed that “prima facie, the Urdu-only requirement appears discriminatory”, especially in view of the 2020 legislation that conferred official status on multiple languages in the Union Territory.
The applicants also contested Advertisement Notification No. 05 of 2025, dated 09.06.2025, issued by the J&K Services Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB), which reiterated Urdu knowledge as a mandatory criterion for eligibility.
The SSRB has been directed to accept applications from candidates who possess knowledge of any of the five official languages as per the 2020 Act, details read.
The Tribunal issued notices to the General Administration Department (GAD) and other respondents, directing them to file their replies within four weeks, it reads.
The matter has been listed for the next hearing on 13 August 2025, the order states.