On Monday, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh gave Ganderbal Deputy Commissioner Shyambir Singh two days to determine whether he would submit an affidavit of apology in a criminal contempt case.
The court scheduled the next hearing for August 14.
During proceedings, a division bench comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Sanjeev Kumar noted that Singh had requested time to consider filing an apology and appearing personally before the subordinate court.
Singh stated that any actions perceived as undermining the court’s authority were not intentional.
The contempt case against Singh, a 2018-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, arose from allegations that he retaliated against Ganderbal sub-judge Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi.
Singh is accused of misusing his official position to intimidate and harass Qureshi after the judge ordered the attachment of Singh’s salary for non-compliance with a 2022 judgment.
Qureshi had alleged that Singh’s actions included unauthorized visits by government officials to his property, which were viewed as attempts to undermine the judiciary.
Last month, Qureshi recommended administrative action against Singh, describing him as a “constant potential threat” to judicial authority under the Government Conduct Rules, 1971.