10/10/2025
Senior JKAS Officer Sent to Jail for Defying Court Orders in South Kashmir
Srinagar, October 09 :- Jammu and Kashmir Police have taken physical custody of a senior JKAS officer, who is holding the charge of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Verinag Development Authority, following directives from the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Anantnag. Acting on the order passed by the Court of Sub-Judge Anantnag, Feroz Ahmad Khan, a copy of which is in the possession of news agency Kashmir Dot Com (KDC), police have taken custody of senior JKAS officer M. Rouf Rehman, who is holding the charge of CEO, Verinag Development Authority.
The Sub-Judge, while hearing Ex*****on Petition No. 147/EP (Case No. 133/2023) titled Hamidullah Bawani vs Union Territory of J&K and Others, ordered the Superintendent of District Jail, Anantnag, and the SHO Anantnag to take the officer, identified as M. Rouf Rehman, son of Haji Abdur Rehman Ganaie, into judicial custody till October 15, 2025, which is the next date of hearing in the case. The court directed the police to produce the officer before it via video conferencing on the next date of hearing.
Sources told Kashmir Dot Com that the police subsequently took custody of the officer and escorted him to a local hospital for a medical examination before lodging him as per procedure.
Earlier, on September 9, the court, while expressing displeasure over non-compliance, noted that the CEO, listed as Judgment Debtor No. 4, had “not even bothered to reply to the show cause notice issued by virtue of order dated 04.03.2025.” The order further stated, “Despite service of order dated 04.03.2025, no cause has been furnished by Judgment Debtor No. 4, which implies that he has no cause to show as to why he shall not be arrested and detained in a civil prison.”
The decree holder, Hamidullah Bawani, a resident of Mir Maidan, Doru, through Advocate Fayaz Ahmad Sodagar, had sought ex*****on of the award dated March 14, 2015, passed in the National Lok Adalat, and enforcement of a subsequent order dated November 17, 2018.
During proceedings last month, counsel for the Deputy Commissioner and Collector Land Acquisition, Anantnag, appearing as Judgment Debtors No. 2 and 3, submitted that “it is Judgment Debtor No. 4 who has to deposit/make the payment as per the decree passed by this court.” Taking note of the submissions, the court held that “it is Judgment Debtor No. 4 who has to deposit/make the payment to the decree holder as provided under the judgment and decree.”
Finding continued non-compliance, the court in September ordered attachment of the Treasury account (Head No. SN.72) operated by the Verinag Development Authority with the Treasury, Dooru, directing that “the Treasury Officer, Dooru, shall not entertain any bill of Judgment Debtor No. 4 in respect of the above-said account head.”
In addition, the court had issued a bailable warrant of arrest to the tune of ₹50,000 against the CEO, directing the Station House Officer (SHO), Police Station Verinag, to execute the same “for its ex*****on and early return.”
