Srinagar, Aug 20: It was an unusual day in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, as the staff staged protests over the appointment of an “outsider” as Deputy Secretary in the Assembly Secretariat.
The employees of the Assembly Secretariat, this morning opposed the posting of Bilal Ahmad Mir, JKAS, Sub-Registrar Khansahib, as Deputy Secretary in the Legislative Assembly. Shouting slogans, the staff demanded immediate withdrawal of the order, accusing the government of undermining and interfering with the autonomous character of the Assembly Secretariat.
A group of employees alleged that the appointment of the JKAS officer was a direct interference by the executive in the domain of the legislature. “There is separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary. The executive is accountable to the legislature, and it cannot control the legislature,” they said.
It is worthwhile mentioning that the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, provides that the Legislative Assembly shall have a separate secretariat staff. The Act also empowers the Assembly to regulate the recruitment and conditions of service of persons appointed to the Secretariat staff by enacting a law.
Furthermore, it stipulates that until the Assembly passes such laws, the Lieutenant Governor, in consultation with the Speaker, has the authority to frame rules for recruitment and service—(KNO)
