Srinagar, Sept 17 (KNO): The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has sought responses from the J&K administration and other respondents on a petition challenging the continued removal of Dr Kamal-ud-Din Farooqui as Imam-o-Khateeb of Dargah Hazratbal, a spokesperson said here on Thursday.
In a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the spokesperson said Justice Mohd Yousuf Wani, while hearing the matter on September 15, granted time to respondent Nos. 2 to 4 and 7 to file their replies/objections and directed notice to the remaining respondents.
The Court also directed the respondents to consider Dr Farooqui’s representation, stated to have been submitted on June 12, 2024, in accordance with the applicable rules. The matter will now come up for further hearing on October 14, 2026.
Dr Farooqui was relieved by the J&K Waqf Board in April 2024 pending an inquiry following a ceremony at Hazratbal during which a non-Muslim man embraced Islam. An inquiry committee was subsequently constituted by the Board, the spokesperson said.
However, the spokesperson said questions remain over the continuation of the action against Dr Farooqui.
According to the material relied upon by Dr Farooqui, his name does not figure in the FIR relating to the episode.
The person who embraced Islam subsequently made a statement before the Court under Section 164 of the CrPC on January 29, 2025, before the Court of the 1st Additional Munsiff, stating that there was no coercion upon him to accept Islam as his religion.
The spokesperson said the judicially recorded statement came after the Waqf Board had already taken action against Dr Farooqui and constituted an inquiry.
The statement also raised questions over the continuing administrative action, including the basis for keeping the Imam out of his religious office, the absence of his name in the FIR and how the subsequent judicial statement has been dealt with by the authorities.
It further questioned whether an interim administrative action can continue indefinitely without a final determination of the allegations. “These are matters that now require examination in accordance with law and are before the High Court,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the case concerns not only Dr Farooqui’s individual position but also broader issues of due process and administrative accountability.
Dr Farooqui has approached the High Court seeking appropriate relief and a lawful resolution of the matter. The next hearing is scheduled for October 14, 2026.—(KNO)