Files, Fear and False Readings

In Jammu and Kashmir, government officers often misread court orders, stall public work, and deny information. What's missing? A legal training institute to teach them how the law actually works.

- Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat

A few years ago, I stood on a patch of road in Dangerpora village, Budgam, watching nothing happen. The road was supposed to be widened and protected by a retaining wall. The money had been sanctioned. The villagers had waited for years. The machinery never showed up.

The officials said a court had stayed the work. I asked for the order. They showed it to me. I read it. The stay was on a different piece of land. The road wasn’t even mentioned.

Still, they refused to build.

This wasn’t laziness or corruption, not this time. It was confusion. They just didn’t understand the court’s language. And this isn’t rare.

Across Jammu and Kashmir, government officers routinely misinterpret court orders. Sometimes they misuse legal terms like “sub-judice” to block development work or deny public information. Sometimes they are afraid of contempt charges. Often, they just don’t know what the law says or means.

I've seen it firsthand. In Budgam, the survey numbers on the court stay didn’t match the land where the road passed. Locals showed me revenue records they had obtained under RTI. The order clearly mentioned survey number 790. The road passed through 791 and 792. That’s public land.

But the Junior Engineer was too nervous to proceed. He said, “Talk to my boss.” The Executive Engineer said, “Let me check.” The Chief Engineer didn’t respond.

Three years passed.

The work was never done. The funds sanctioned under PMGSY likely lapsed.