Judgment

1. The petitioner is a practising Advocate of this Court and is aggrieved of advertisement notice dated 11th of March, 2020, issued by the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, inviting applications for engagement as Standing Counsel for various districts of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The petitioner also feels aggrieved of the selection criteria indicated in the impugned advertisement notice. The petitioner, therefore, prays for a direction to the respondents to issue a fresh notification for engagement of Standing Counsels in various districts of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after framing selection criteria, which is fair, just and reasonable after framing selection criteria which is fair, just and rational.

2. The entire writ petition is predicated on the plea that the respondents have issued the impugned advertisement notification as per the Jammu and Kashmir Law Officers (Appointment and Conditions of Service), Rules 2016 [“Rules of 2016” for short], promulgated vide SRO 98 dated 24th of March, 2016, and that SRO 98, which was issued by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in exercise of powers conferred by Section 124 of the Const