SRINAGAR: International water sports star and noted sports administrator Bilquis Mir has moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), filing a contempt petition against the Jammu and Kashmir Youth Services and Sports Department for allegedly failing to comply with tribunal directions to release her salary, which she claims has remained unpaid for more than two-and-a-half years.
The petition has been filed against the Commissioner Secretary and the Director General of the department. Mir has stated that the tribunal, in its February 5 order, had directed the authorities to release her legitimately earned salary within 15 days, but the directive has allegedly not been implemented despite the expiry of the stipulated period.
According to the petition, the continued non-compliance has caused severe financial hardship and professional distress, depriving her of her livelihood despite rendering services to the department. It alleges that the failure to implement the tribunal’s order is deliberate and amounts to undermining the authority of the judicial institution.
The salary dispute dates back to November 2023, when an Anti-Corruption Branch case was registered against Mir under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code. However, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed the FIR in July last year, observing that there appeared to have been attempts to harass a talented sportsperson.
Speaking to Kashmir Life, Mir said she had not received any explanation from the authorities regarding the stoppage of her salary.
“I received my last salary in November 2023, and to this day, I have not been informed of the reason why it was stopped. After receiving no response from the concerned authorities, I was compelled to approach the High Court for justice. The matter was later transferred to the Central Administrative Tribunal, which directed the department to release my salary within 15 days,” she said.
The petition further states that the respondents were represented during the tribunal proceedings and were fully aware of the binding nature of the order.
The legal dispute over her financial dues had earlier reached the High Court, which transferred the matter to the tribunal for adjudication. In its observations, the High Court had praised Mir’s achievements, describing them as a matter of pride for the country, while criticising the treatment meted out to an accomplished sportsperson. It had also termed the Anti-Corruption Branch’s actions a “witch-hunt” and expressed concern over what it described as attempts to target an athlete of international stature.
A distinguished figure in Indian water sports, Mir represented India at the Canoeing and Kayaking World Cup in Hungary in 2009 and became the first Indian woman to serve as a judge at the Asian Games. She has also coached India’s women’s kayaking and canoeing teams at international events and holds an international coaching diploma from Hungary.
She was selected as India’s only female kayaking and canoeing judge for the 2024 Summer Olympics and was recently appointed chief coach of the national kayaking and canoeing team for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan.
