Srinagar, Aug 05: The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Srinagar Bench, has issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against the Vice Chancellor of the Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, and the university’s Registrar, Shamim Ahmad Shah, in connection with a contempt petition over the alleged non-compliance of the Tribunal’s earlier directions.
The Tribunal directed the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Police District Awantipora, to execute the warrants and ensure the production of both officials before the court on August 6 at 11:30 am. It also directed its Registry to constitute a Division Bench for the next hearing.
The order was passed by a Bench comprising Member (Judicial) M.S. Latif and Member (Administrative) Prasant Kumar while hearing Contempt Petition No. 152/2026 arising out of Original Application No. 552/2026 filed by Dr Sheikh Mohd Imran.
According to the order, the respondents had been granted multiple opportunities to comply with the Tribunal’s directions and were earlier permitted to appear through virtual mode. The Bench observed that despite repeated indulgence, including the issuance of bailable warrants, the officials failed to comply with the court’s orders.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, Deputy Advocate General Syed Musaib sought time to obtain instructions regarding compliance. Subsequently, applications seeking exemption from personal appearance were filed on behalf of both officials. The Tribunal, however, rejected the applications, observing that they cited only “administrative constraints” without furnishing sufficient grounds for exemption.
The Bench noted that the contempt petition has remained pending since June 16 and that the respondents had also approached the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh through separate writ petitions challenging the Tribunal’s orders. Despite this, the Tribunal observed that it had consistently taken into account the High Court’s directions while granting repeated opportunities for compliance.
Referring to earlier orders passed on July 20, July 21, July 23 and August 3, the Tribunal held that the respondents had adopted a pattern of delaying compliance. It observed that contempt jurisdiction is essential to preserving the sanctity of judicial proceedings and maintaining public confidence in the justice delivery system.
The Tribunal further noted that under Section 17 of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985, read with Rule 9 of the Contempt of Courts (CAT) Rules, 1992, it possesses the same contempt powers as a High Court, including the authority to issue bailable and non-bailable warrants where necessary.
Holding that the respondents’ conduct amounted to deliberate and wilful disobedience of its directions, the Tribunal dismissed the exemption applications and ordered the issuance of non-bailable warrants, directing the SSP, Awantipora, to execute them without fail and produce both officials before the Bench on August 6.
The Tribunal clarified that its observations in the contempt proceedings would not influence the final adjudication of the main Original Application.
