Srinagar: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has issued a sharp reprimand to the district administration of Baramulla, staying an executive order that had cancelled a local man’s stamp vendor license. The court has demanded personal explanations from the district’s top two administrators for their failure to assist the judiciary in a timely manner.
A single bench of Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal, while hearing a petition filed by one Ghulam Nabi Lone, observed that the administrative action against the petitioner appeared to have been taken in haste and without following the requisite legal protocols.
The court noted that the matter was initially listed on May 8, 2026, where the government was asked to clarify if the petitioner had been given a fair chance to respond before his livelihood was stripped away.
Advocate Aasif Wani, appearing for the petitioner, argued that the order dated April 28, 2026, which cancelled the stamp vendor license, was issued without the issuance of any prior show-cause notice. This contention formed the crux of the judicial scrutiny, leading the court to seek records from the Deputy Commissioner’s office to substantiate whether due process was followed.
However, the proceedings took a turn when the learned Government Advocate, informed the bench that his efforts to secure information from the district authorities had been met with silence. Despite communicating the court’s directions to the Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla on the very day of the previous hearing, the counsel stated that the officer had “not bothered to provide any information or record as desired by this Court,” leaving the legal representative unable to assist in the matter.
Faced with this administrative bottleneck, Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal remarked that the court was left with no choice but to intervene.
“In the aforesaid backdrop, this Court is left with no option, but to stay the Order dated 28th April, 2026, which, prima facie, has been passed without issuing any show cause notice,” the bench observed while ordering the stay to remain in effect until the next date of hearing.
The court’s displeasure extended to the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Baramulla as well, after learning that the communication from the Government Advocate had been endorsed to his office with similarly negligent results.
“Let both the Deputy Commissioner and Additional Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla, shall file their personal affidavit indicating the reasons for not complying with the Order,” the court directed, stating that the officials must account for their lack of cooperation by or before the next hearing.
The case is now scheduled for further consideration on July 7, 2026. (KDC)
