JAMMU, Oct 17: The Central Administrative Tribunal has questioned Home Department over the issuance of transfer orders despite questions about the competence of the officer who signed them.
The Tribunal has directed the Government to clarify whether orders issued by the relieved Director of Defence Labour Procurement Department have any legal validity.
One, Rubeena Akhter challenged her transfer from the Labour Procurement Office, Gund/Srinagar.
She sought quashing of two transfer orders dated September 26 and October 14, 2025, arguing that they were issued without jurisdiction since the officer concerned had already been relieved by the Ministry of Home Affairs on September 30, 2025, to join his new posting in Ladakh.
Counsel added that once an officer stood relieved, any subsequent order signed by him was “bad in law” and amounted to a “mockery of justice.”
The Tribunal observed that similar matters were pending on identical grounds and said the issue raised serious concerns about fairness and legality in administrative functioning.
The Bench directed the Home Department to file a affidavit clarifying whether the MHA’s order of September 22, 2025, had been acted upon and whether subsequent transfer orders carried any legal weight. While Government counsel sought one week’s time.
Tribunal added that failure to comply would necessitate the personal appearance of the Additional Secretary, DLP Department & case was listed on October 28.
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