Row Erupts Over CAT Order on Urdu Requirement for Naib Tehsildar Exam in Jammu Kashmir

SRINAGAR: A political storm has erupted in Jammu and Kashmir over the Central Administrative Tribunal’s (CAT) decision to stay the mandatory Urdu language requirement for the recruitment of Naib Tehsildars, with regional leaders denouncing the move as an attack on the region’s administrative legacy and cultural identity.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti led the charge against the order, alleging that Urdu was being “unfairly communalised.” In a post on X, she wrote, “It is deeply unfortunate that our judiciary appears to be influenced by divisive politics. Urdu, a recognised official language for decades, is now being unfairly communalised. Our revenue records and administrative work continue to be maintained in Urdu, and it is only logical that applicants for the post of Naib Tehsildar possess basic proficiency in the language. This requirement is rooted purely in administrative efficiency, not in any form of divisiveness.”

The controversy began after the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) issued a notification in June 2025 for Naib Tehsildar posts in the Revenue Department, making knowledge of Urdu a mandatory qualification. The decision sparked protests, particularly in the Jammu region, with aspirants terming the clause discriminatory. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a campaign seeking the removal of Urdu as a qualifying requirement, arguing that the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020, recognises five official languages — Hindi, Urdu, English, Dogri and Kashmiri — and no single language should be privileged in recruitment.

Following a petition filed by Jammu-based applicants, including Rajesh Singh, the CAT Jammu Bench comprising Rajinder Singh Dogra and Ram Mohan Johri, stayed the Urdu clause. In its interim order, the tribunal directed the JKSSB to accept applications from all graduates possessing knowledge of any of the five official languages under the 2020 Act. The JKSSB subsequently deferred the recruitment notification.

Reacting sharply, senior regional leaders accused the BJP and the judiciary of undermining the region’s historical administrative framework. People’s Conference president and MLA from Handwara, Sajad Lone, warned that the move amounted to a “systematic marginalisation” of Kashmiris and termed it “linguicide.” He added, “The exclusion of Urdu as a qualifying requirement is a calculated move to erase regional linguistic roots. With Urdu no longer mandatory, the majority Kashmiri-speaking population has been relegated to a footnote in recruitment lists. This is not about merit; it is about erasure.”

Lone also reminded that Urdu had historically given Kashmiri aspirants a legitimate edge in administrative jobs due to their familiarity with the language used in official records and procedures.

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah echoed the concerns, arguing that efficiency in the Revenue Department would be compromised if officials lacked basic Urdu skills. “Even before Independence, our revenue records were in Urdu. Now if you appoint staff who do not understand the language, how will they perform their duties?” he asked. He suggested a middle path whereby non-Urdu-speaking appointees could be trained in the language post-selection.

National Conference chief spokesperson and legislator Tanvir Sadiq also defended Urdu’s official role. “Urdu became the administrative language of Jammu and Kashmir more than 130 years ago under the Dogra Maharajas. The records, the judiciary, and the entire legal ecosystem are still based in Urdu,” he said. “To politicise this legacy for short-term gains is not only historically dishonest but also threatens administrative continuity.”

Former Revenue Secretary Ashraf Mir traced Urdu’s official adoption to the land settlement work begun in 1889 by Walter Lawrence, the first Settlement Commissioner of J&K. He pointed out that even as recently as 2015, when the PDP and BJP were in coalition, Urdu was a mandatory qualification for the same post, and no objections were raised then.

PDP leader and MLA Waheed Parra went a step further, alleging that the BJP’s campaign to remove Urdu from administrative qualification lists reflected a “disgraceful new low” in politicising language. “This is not about recruitment; it is about rewriting identity,” he said.

While BJP supporters argue that the language requirement was exclusionary, the order has widened the political divide between Jammu and Kashmir’s two regions, with language now emerging as a fresh flashpoint in the Valley’s post-Article 370 political landscape.

The CAT has issued notices to the Jammu and Kashmir government, including the General Administration Department, and listed the matter for further hearing on August 13. Meanwhile, opposition parties are demanding that the recruitment process be restored with Urdu retained as a necessary qualification, citing legal, historical, and administrative precedent.