Ganderbal deputy commissioner Shyambir Singh, a young IAS officer on deputation to Jammu and Kashmir from Madhya Pradesh, was on Friday ordered by the high court to be personally present during the hearing of a contempt case involving his alleged attempt to implicate a junior judge in a false case for passing an order against him.

The confrontation between Ganderbal sub-judge Fayaz Ahmad Qureshi and Singh has emerged as a test for the power of bureaucrats in Jammu and Kashmir, with allegations mounting that the BJP-led Centre has thrown the residents at the mercy of mostly non-local bureaucrats after the 2019 scrapping of special status.

A division bench of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court comprising Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Sanjeev Kumar on Friday issued the summons to “contemnor” Singh and asked him to appear in person before it on August 5.

“Any attempt by him to avoid service of summons or his non-appearance shall be viewed seriously by this Court and the Court shall resort to coercive proceedings to secure his presence,” the order said.

Contacted, Singh said the matter was sub judice and it would not be appropriate for him to comment on it.

On Thursday, sub-judge Qureshi had in an order made a reference to the high court for initiating contempt proceedings against the officer after “he neither bothered to appear before the court” nor “furnished his reply” to a showcause notice.

Qureshi had in an order on July 23 accused Singh of launching a personal “attack” on him through “manipulation and fabrication” as revenge for an order in which the judge directed the withholding of the officer's salary.