‘Can officers act as government?’ Congress seeks discussion on CS, Law Secretary letters in J&K Assembly
Legislators in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly are protesting after senior bureaucrats sent letters to the Speaker attempting to block a statehood resolution. Congress and National Conference members argue this bureaucratic interference undermines the authority of the elected government and the legislative body.
Why it matters
This highlights a significant constitutional tension between the elected government and the administrative bureaucracy in a Union Territory, raising questions about the limits of executive power.
Two separate official communiques by J&K Chief Secretary (CS) Atal Dulloo and Law Secretary (LS) Achal Sethi opposing J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Statehood resolution evoked criticism from ruling National Conference (NC) and its ally Congress in the J&K Assembly on Tuesday (September 29, 2026).
Speaking in the assembly, Congress legislator Nizamuddin Bhat said the letters should be made part of the records and put to the discussion in the House. Mr. Bhat’s demand came a day after J&K CM Abdullah informed the House that two letters from CS Dulloo and Mr. Sethi were dashed off to the Speaker not to take up the Statehood resolution, brought on September 25 by him, for being “a sub judice” matter.
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