Justice Pankaj Mithal, chief justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, has directed that cases from Jammu and Leh should be filed, heard and decided in the court’s Jammu wing, and cases from Kargil and Kashmir Valley in its Kashmir wing in Srinagar.
The high court has territorial jurisdiction over the Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The chief justice has issued the directive as his office is flooded with applications for permission to file cases pertaining to a particular wing in the other wing.
“This has rendered e-filing meaningless,” reads the chief justice’s directive.
“The practice of seeking permission to file a case, pertaining to a particular wing, in the other wing of the high court must come to an end when cases are permitted to be filed through e-mode…. In ordinary course, filing shall be done in the physical mode in the concerned wing of the high court; however, e-filing is also permitted through any available digital mode…. In view of the availability of the facility of filing through e-mode as well in both wings of the high court, no application shall be entertained for seeking permission to file a case, related to a particular wing, in the other wing of the high court…. The high court shall establish Vidhik Seva Kendras in both wings of the high court, and also in each district…to facilitate the filing of matters in concerned wings of the high court through e-mode…. The litigants of Ladakh, instead of travelling to Srinagar or Jammu for filing matters in the high court, may approach to the Vidhik Seva Kendra in their district to avail the facility of filing their matters through e-mode…. The matters of Ladakh so filed may, if possible and convenient, be heard in the concerned wing through video conferencing.”
