Urdu dropped as job criterion in J&K, stirring debate on identity and inclusion

Members of BJP Yuva Morcha hailed the decision of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which stayed the government order making Urdu mandatory for applying to the post of Naib Tehsildar in Jammu and Kashmir.
| Photo Credit:
PTI

A tribunal order scrapping Urdu as a mandatory qualification for recruitment to Jammu and Kashmir’s Revenue Department has sparked a political row, with regional parties accusing the judiciary of aligning with divisive politics.

On July 15, the Jammu bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) set aside a government notification that had made Urdu compulsory for the post of Naib Tehsildar under the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board. The Tribunal ruled that candidates proficient in any of the five official languages listed under the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020 — Hindi, Urdu, English, Kashmiri and Dogri — should be deemed eligible.

‘Docs are in Urdu’

The ruling drew sharp political reactions. Kashmir-based parties, including the National Conference (NC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), opposed the decision, while the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed it.

“Even before independence, all revenue records have been maintained in Urdu,” said Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “If you hire someone unfamiliar with the language, how will they be able to perform their duties?” added the CM. 

PDP president Mehbooba Mufti criticised the verdict on social media platform X, saying, “It is deeply unfortunate that our judiciary appears to be influenced by divisive politics,” she wrote.

“Urdu, a recognised official language for decades, is now being unfairly communalised,” she said.

She added that revenue records and administrative work in Jammu and Kashmir are still maintained in Urdu, making it “only logical that applicants for the post of Naib Tehsildar possess basic proficiency in the language.”

“This requirement is rooted purely in administrative efficiency, not in any form of divisiveness,” she said.

The BJP, which had earlier protested against Urdu being a mandatory qualification for revenue jobs, hailed the CAT ruling as a “step towards inclusivity”.

Communal lens to Urdu

The row traces back to a broader shift in Jammu and Kashmir’s language policy following the abrogation of the region’s special constitutional status in 2019. Urdu had long served as the sole official language, particularly in administrative and land revenue matters. However, the passage of the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act in September 2020 expanded the list of official languages to include Hindi, Kashmiri, Dogri and English alongside Urdu.

While the government presented the change as a step toward broader linguistic inclusion, critics argue it has resulted in the marginalisation of Urdu and intensified cultural and political fault lines in the region.

PDP youth leader and legislator Waheed ur Rehman Parra told businessline that the BJP’s attempt to view Urdu through a communal lens marked “a dangerous and disgraceful new low” in the political discourse.

“Urdu is not a symbol of any religion, but the throbbing pulse of Jammu and Kashmir’s identity — echoing the collective memories and soul of our people for centuries,” Parra said.

Published on July 17, 2025