Jammu, May 05: In a case concerning recovery from pension involving a senior citizen, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Jammu Bench, expressed concern over repeated delays by the respondents in filing their reply.
The matter, titled Deepak Koul vs Public Works Department (R&B) [O.A./1951/2025], came up for hearing, where the Tribunal noted that despite several opportunities, the respondents had failed to submit their response.
During the proceedings, Deputy Advocate General Hunar Gupta informed the Tribunal that the concerned officer responsible for filing the reply had not yet resumed duties and requested additional time.
Taking a balanced view, the Tribunal granted one last and final opportunity to the respondents to file their reply. It, however, made it clear that failure to comply would invite coercive action on the next date of hearing.
The case has now been listed for June 2, 2026.
The order was passed by Ram Mohan Johri, Member (Administrative), who emphasized the importance of timely responses, particularly in matters involving senior citizens.
Notably, similar directions have also been issued in several other pending cases, including O.A./1744/2025, O.A./1091/2025 (Jammu), O.A./834/2025 (Jammu), and O.A./731/2025 (Jammu), reflecting a pattern of concern over delays in filing replies by the concerned department.
