Srinagar, Jan 25: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh Tuesday directed all the Judicial Officers, Officers/ Officials of the High Court and Subordinate Courts that there is no need for separately submitting their Annual Property Returns (APR) to the government.
"As the High Court has its own in-house mechanism for submitting Returns annually, as such, there is no need for separately submitting such returns to the government," the Chief Justice, Pankaj Mithal directed in an order issued by the Registrar General of the HC.
The order issued by the Registrar General, Sanjeev Gupta has asked all the Judicial Officers, Officers/ Officials of the High Court and Subordinate Courts to submit their Annual Property Returns to the High Court in the same manner as they have been doing earlier, through proper channels.
The order was issued after the government in exercise of powers conferred under Section 16 of the 'Jammu and Kashmir Public Men and Public Servants Declaration of Assets and Other Provisions Act, 1983 amended Rule 3 of Jammu and Kashmir Public Men and Public Servants Declaration of Assets and Other Provisions Rules, 1998, on January, 11, 2022 by virtue of which every public servant is now under obligation to submit online Property Return on the portal developed in this regard by the government of J&K.
In an amendment to Rule 3 of the Rules, sub-rule (1) has been substituted directing that every public servant will submit “annual return through online mode for the calendar year between January 1 and January 31, of the next calendar year, in respect of all the assets possessed by him and his family members.”
This will include the assets in respect of movable property, the value of which exceeds his two months basic salary in each case, giving full particulars regarding “cash balance, saving bank deposits, shares, cash certificates, fixed deposits, debentures, security bond; jewelry or ornaments and households items (electric and electronic items only)."
Further, the government has substituted Rule 4 which deals with restriction to acquire and transfer of movable property.
Under Rule 4, every public servant will bring to the notice of the prescribed authority the acquisition or transfer of movable property where the value of such property exceeds his two months basic salary in each case.