SRINAGAR:  Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday said it was “deeply unfortunate” that the judiciary appears to be “influenced by divisive politics”.

Mufti’s remarks came after the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) stayed the operation of the relevant provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Revenue (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules of 2009, insofar as they mandate graduation with the knowledge of Urdu as the minimum qualification for the post of Naib Tehsildar.

Emphasising that Urdu, a recognised official language, was being “unfairly communalised”, the PDP president pointed out that revenue records and administrative work in J-K continue to be maintained in Urdu, and “it is only logical that applicants for the post of Naib Tehsildar possess basic proficiency in the language”.