Srinagar, Nov 14: The Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference (JKPC) is preparing to contest the police verification process required for government jobs and passport applications in Jammu and Kashmir.
The party claims the verification process unfairly penalizes individuals for the alleged actions of their family members, creating what they describe as a “collective punishment” for entire families.
JKPC’s decision comes in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling, known as the “bulldozer judgment,” which stated that demolishing properties as punishment for one family member’s actions constitutes collective punishment.
JKPC leaders say this judgment strengthens their argument that the current police verification process in Kashmir is similarly unjust, often denying clearances to individuals whose relatives may have adverse police records, even if the individuals themselves have no criminal history.
Sajad Lone, who has long opposed this form of police verification, shared on platform X (formerly Twitter), pointing to the Supreme Court’s verdict as evidence of the need for change. “In the highlighted part, the Supreme Court calls it collective punishment against the family.
An adverse police verification certificate because a relative has an adverse police record is also a collective punishment against the family. Kashmir specific Stone Age justice,” Lone posted.
He argued that denying individual access to opportunities or passports due to their relatives’ actions goes against principles of justice, where only the individual directly involved should be held accountable.
Party spokesperson Adnan Ashraf further elaborated on the issue, stating, “This process of police verification doesn’t exist in any other state. People are held back not for their actions but for something their family members may have done. This has deeply impacted job prospects for youth and denied many the chance to travel abroad.”
Ashraf added that, under this verification process, some individuals lose jobs they’ve earned on merit, while others face barriers to securing travel documents, affecting their opportunities for international study or work. He clarified that the party does not oppose police verification itself but insists it must be limited to the individual applicant and not extend to their family members’ histories.
