Jammu – In a new development, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Jammu Bench, has stayed the mandatory Urdu language requirement for the post of Naib Tehsildar in Jammu and Kashmir. The decision comes as a major relief to aspirants who possess qualifications in other official languages of the Union Territory but were earlier disqualified for lacking proficiency in Urdu.
The tribunal observed that the Jammu and Kashmir Revenue (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules of 2009, which mandate graduation with knowledge of Urdu as a minimum qualification for the post, appear to be “prima facie discriminatory.” It noted that this condition stands in contradiction to the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020, which recognizes five official languages—Hindi, Kashmiri, English, Dogri, and Urdu.
The petitioners in the case had contended that the exclusive Urdu language requirement was arbitrary and unjust, especially as they were proficient in other officially recognized languages.
After hearing arguments from the applicants’ counsel, the Tribunal concluded that the provision mandating knowledge of Urdu alone as a qualification was not in alignment with the multi-lingual recognition granted by the 2020 Official Languages Act. The court ruled that such a restriction “prima facie appears to be discriminatory.”
Consequently, CAT has stayed the operation of the Urdu language requirement under the 2009 recruitment rules for the post of Naib Tehsildar. It also directed the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Recruitment Board (SSRB) to accept applications from candidates who have graduated with knowledge of any of the five official languages of the Union Territory.
