The Jammu and Kashmir Government has extended the ad-hoc appointment of 16 Civil Judges (Senior Division) as District Judges (Entry Level) for a further six months, or until the posts are filled on a regular basis, whichever is earlier.The extensions were sanctioned through two separate government orders issued by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs on September 1, 2026, following recommendations from the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh under Rule 20 of the Jammu and Kashmir Higher Judicial Service Rules, 2009.
Under Government Order No. 10861-JK(LD) of 2026, the ad-hoc appointment of six officers has been extended from the expiry of their previous term on August 5, 2026. They are Ramesh Lal, Parvin Pandoh, Faizan Ul Haq Iqbal, Noor Mohd. Mir, Swati Gupta and Rafia Hassan.
A second order, Government Order No. 10862-JK(LD) of 2026, extends the ad-hoc appointment of 10 other Civil Judges for six months from the expiry of their existing term on October 15, 2026. They are Mir Wajahat, Aadil Mushtaq, Fozia Paul, Mehreen Mushtaq, Feroz Ahmad Khan, Imran Hussain Wani, Preet Simran Kour, Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi, Umesh Sharma and Sheikh Gowher Hussain.
The government orders specify that the ad-hoc appointments will not give the officers any right to claim seniority or any other superior right over candidates who may be appointed through regular selection under the Direct or Limited Competitive Examination (LCE) quota.
The officers will also be reverted to the cadre of Civil Judges (Senior Division)/Sub Judges if they are not found fit for promotion to the post of District Judge through the regular selection process, or if sufficient posts are not available for their regular promotion.
Both orders were issued by Achal Sethi, Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, by order of the Lieutenant Governor.
