ALTAF AHMAD CHOPAN vs SHEEP HUSBANDRY

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OA 1150/2026

CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL
SRINAGAR BENCH, SRINAGAR

O.A 1150/2026
th
16 October , 2026
C O R A M
HON’BLE MR. M.S. LATIF, MEMBER (JUDL.)

1. Altaf Ahamd Chopan Aged 45 years
S/o Abdul Rashid Chopan
R/o H. No. 31 New Pulwama District Pulwama 192301,
Phone number on behalf of all Applicants - 788 941 9630

2. Manzoor Ahmad Shah Aged 40 years
S/o Abdul Qayoom Shah
R/o H. No. 11 Khansahab Budgam193411.

3. Shabir Ahmad Dar Aged 32 years
S/o Ghulam Rasool Dar
R/o H. No. 21 Brazloo Jagir Kulgam -1922302.

4. Naseer Ahmad Sofi Aged 35 years
S/o Mohammad Yousuf Sofi
R/o H. No. 69 Khudwani Kulgam192231.

5. Hilal Ahmad Gojri Aged 33 years
S/o Mohammad Rajab Gojri
R/o H. No. 51 Rakshi Tangan Budgam - 191113.

6. Fayaz Ahmad Bhat Aged 32 years
S/o Gh. Mohammad Bhat
R/o H. No. 73 Kurhama Budgam- 193411.

7. Nazir Ahmad Khanday Aged 33 years
S/o Gh. Mohammad Khanday
R/o H. No. 29, Sozeth Goripora Bugam- 191113.

8. Mushtaq Ahmad Paddar Aged 36 years
S/o Ab. Ahad Paddar
R/o H. No. 114 Heff, Shopian192303.

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OA 1150/2026
9. Abbas Ahmad Ganie Aged 38 years
S/o Gh. Hassan Ganie
R/o H. No. 91 Arrh Shopian- 192303.

10. Ilyas Ahmad Malik Aged 39 years
S/o Nazir Ahmad Malik
R/o H. no. 121 Chutergam Shopian- 192303

11. Manzoor Ahmad Sheikh Aged 40 years
S/o Ab. Khaliq Sheikh
R/o H. No. 169 Rahama Kulgam192231.

12. Maroof un Nissa Aged 40 years
W/o Muzaffar Ahmad Jan
R/o H. No. 17 Rajpora Pulwama192305.

13. Jahangir Ahmad Ganai Aged 35 years
S/o Abdul Ahad Ganai
R/o H. No. 133 Frisal Kulgam192231.

14. Shabir Ahmad Chopan Aged 38 years
S/o Ab. Gani Chopan
R/o H. No. 49 Chrari Sharief Budgam191112,

15. Shabir Ahmad Wani Aged 33 years
S/o Ab. Ahad Wani
R/o H. No. 86 Wanipora Pulwama- 192304.

16. Asima Aged 33 years
D/o Gh. Nabi Khan R/o H. no. 11 Baranpathari Batamaloo
Srinagar- 190009.

17. Javid Ahmad Ganie Aged 32 years
S/o Nazir Ahmad Ganie
R/o H No. 33 Frisal Kulgam- 192232

18. Liyakat Ahmad Dar Aged 33 years
S/o Manzoor Ahmad Dar
R/o H No. 37 Brazloo Jagir Kulgam192232.

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…..... Applicant/s

By Advocate : Mr. Bhat Khursheed
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OA 1150/2026

VERSUS

1. Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir through
Commissioner/ Secretary to Government
Animal and Sheep Husbandry Department,
Civil Secretariat, Srinagar -190001.

2. Director, Sheep Husbandry Department,
Kashmir, Srinagar -190001.

3. Joint Director (Farms), Sheep Husbandry Department,
Kashmir, Srinagar Pin Code 190001.

4. Accounts Officer, Sheep Husbandry Department,
Kashmir, Srinagar, Pin Code - 190001.

…….Respondent/s

By Advocate
: Mr. Syed Musaib - DAG

O R D E R
M.S.LATIF, M (J) oral
01/ Through the medium of this petition, the petitioner has, inter
alia, sought the following relief :
“The Hon'ble Court may kindly be pleased to direct the
respondents to release the legitimate wages of the petitioners
without any further delay with further direction to ensure the
continuation of the petitioners in the department as Need Based
Employees and ensure their deployment. The petitioners have
also sought a direction, as an interim measure, that pending final
adjudication of this petition, the Hon'ble court may be pleased to
direct the respondents to release the withheld wages of the
petitioners forthwith and consider their representations regarding
their continuation in the department on need basis.”
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02/ What can be gathered from a cursory look into the
pleadings made in this petition is that this petition has been filed by
the petitioners, who hail from different districts and who have been
engaged in the respondent department in different Sheep Breeding
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Farms on need basis with monthly remuneration of Rs. 3000/- on
need basis and are discharging their duties to the entire satisfaction
of their higher authorities. Learned counsel for the petitioners
submits that the petitioners, being sole bread earners of their
respective families, have no other source of income to nourish their
families and are wholly and solely dependent upon the services
which they are rendering in the respondent department. He submits
that the respondents have enrolled the petitioners on Aadhaar Based
Bio-Matric Identification and Skill Profiling,
03/ Learned counsel submits that the candidates who were
working in the respondent department as Need Based Employees
including the petitioners have approached the respondent department
for continuation of their services on need basis by way of
representations and the respondents, after receiving the
representations, have considered and submitted the report to the
higher authorities that the respondent department is facing acute
dearth of Class-IV staff due to retirements and promotions and, if
the Government deems it fit to continue/re-engage these workers,
their services can be utilized for different operations of the
department.
04/ Grievance of the petitioners herein is that the respondents
have allowed similarly circumstanced employees to continue in the
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respondents department, who are discharging their duties but they
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(petitioners) have been excluded from consideration and they are
seeking their continuation on the same analogy as has been applied
in respect of similarly situated persons. Learned counsel for the
petitioners submits that the respondent department has issued a
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circular for implementation of government notified rates in respect
of all the Casual/Consolidated/CPW's etc. in the respondent
department and as per this circular the petitioners bio-metric
attendance system, as categorized by the Government/respondent
department, had been enforced when the petitioners have been
working in the respondent department, prior to the issuance of Govt.
Order No. 43 of 2015 dated: 17-03-2015 and they were even being
paid the wages/salaries from time to time, but suddenly the
respondents, from last five months, have withheld the wages/salaries
of the petitioners, as such, petitioners are seeking a direction to the
respondents to release the unpaid wages in their favour. Learned
counsel submits that the petitioners have worked in the respondent
department on need basis from last more than 10 years and the
respondents, without any reason, have stopped their wages/salaries.
He further submits that the petitioners are under apprehension that
the respondents will not allow them to continue their service and, as
such, a direction deserves to be issued to the respondents for
continuation of the services of the petitioners’ and release of
withheld legitimate wages in their favour forthwith.
05/ It is further submitted that due to non-redressal of
grievances of the petitioners, the respondents are violating their
Constitutional and Statutory rights as the respective families of the
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petitioners are at the verge of starvation and are constrained to seek
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a direction to the respondents from this Hon’ble Court to release
the withheld wages in their favour forthwith. Learned counsel
submits that the petitioners are discharging their duties in the
respondent department to the entire satisfaction of higher authorities
and are continuing to do so department but the respondents have
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withheld the wages of the petitioners without any reason, though
they are continuing their service in the respondent department till
date. He further submits that in an identical matter bearing O.A. No.
277/2026, titled Nazir Ahmad Wani & Others versus Union
Territory of J&K & Others, this Hon'ble Tribunal was pleased to
pass an order dated 10.07.2026 in favour of the petitioners therein
and the petitioners herein are similarly situated and circumstanced
with the petitioners in the aforesaid O.A, as such, they too are
entitled to the same treatment in accordance with law.
06/ Be that as it may, after arguing the matter for a
considerable period of time, learned counsel for the petitioners’
fairly submitted that the petitioners’ would be satisfied if the
respondents are directed to treat this petition as comprehensive
representation of the petitioners’ and decide the same as
expeditiously as possible in accordance with law.
07/ Learned counsel appearing for the respondents submits that
he has no objection if the present O.A is disposed of with
appropriate directions, without prejudice to the rights and
contentions of the respondents.
08/ Heard learned counsel for the parties at length, perused the
material available on record.
09/ Having regard to the limited and innocuous prayer made by
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learned counsel for the petitioners and without expressing any
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opinion on the merits of the case, the present O.A is disposed of
with a direction to the respondents to treat this petition together
with all documents and annexures appended thereto as well as the
representations, filed by the petitioners earlier, as a comprehensive
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representation and consider and decide the averments put forth
therein by passing a reasoned and speaking order in accordance
with the applicable statutory provisions, rules and governing legal
framework, of course, subject to the petitioners’ eligibility and
entitlement under law and provided there is no legal impediment in
doing so. Needful to be done within a period of six weeks from the
date a certified copy of this order and copy of this O.A is served
upon the respondents.
10/ In the backdrop of what has been discussed above, this O.A
1150/2026 is disposed of along with connected M.As, if any.
(M. S. LATIF)
Member (Judl.)
TARIQ MOTA
CONSULTANT (PS)
16-10-2025
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