The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has issued a notice seeking the Central Reserve Police Force’s stand on a petition by a former constable against his dismissal from service for allegedly concealing his marriage to a Pakistani woman, The Indian Express reported on Thursday.

The paramilitary force, in its May 3 order to dismiss the former constable, Munir Ahmed, had also accused him of “knowingly harbouring” the Pakistani woman even after her visa expired

Munir, however, had said that he had received permission for the marriage on April 30 last year.

The former constable, who is a resident of Jammu and Kashmir’s Bhalwal, was last posted with the 41st battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force in Bhopal. He was stationed at the 72nd battalion stationed in Jammu and Kashmir before that.

Munir’s marriage to a Pakistani woman named Minal Khan was said to have come to light when India directed Pakistani citizens to leave the country by April 27 in the backdrop of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 persons.

The paramilitary force said that his actions “were found to be in violation of service conduct and detrimental to national security”.

In his petition in the court, Munir described his dismissal from the paramilitary force as “arbitrary, capricious and whimsical”, adding that he had informed authorities “time and again by following the procedure and rules since 2022”, according to The Indian Express.

He added that he had also informed the Central Reserve Police Force that he had married Khan on May 24 last year.

The petition claimed that Munir had informed the paramilitary force about his impending marriage in 2022. The Central Reserve Police Force responded with some objections, which was answered by the former constable in October 2023, it added.

Munir said that the inspector general of the Central Reserve Police Force on November 17, 2023, told the special director general of police that the former constable had submitted documents that appeared to be sufficient for the purposes of intimation as per Central Civil Services Conduct Rule 21(3) provisions, , The Indian Express reported.

This provision mandates that a government servant who marries or has married a person of a different nationality must immediately inform the government.

The petition added that Munir had “also asked for guidance in the matter for taking a final decision in the matter”, according to the newspaper.

“The DIG [deputy inspector general] also vide communication dated December 12, 2023 informed the Inspector General (Adm) that the petitioner has done his duty to inform the department under the relevant rule and has submitted the relevant documents and the same have been sent to the office for necessary action/issuance of no objection certificate,” the newspaper quoted the petition as having said.

The petition said that on April 30, 2024, the director general of the paramilitary force “certified that the petitioner has intimated the department well within the rules”. This communication also said that “there is no mention of issuing any no objection certificate under the rules”, it added.

Munir then married Khan via video conferencing on May 24 last year, the petition said, adding that it was registered in both Pakistan and in India. He said that he had informed the Central Reserve Police Force about it through representations in October and December.

On his transfer to the 41st battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force in Bhopal in March, he had also told the new commandant of his marriage, the petition said.

Munir told the court that that Khan had been in India on a visiting visa till February 28 and had then had applied for a long-term visa on March 4, which was still pending, The Indian Express reported.

In light of the petition, Justice Javed Iqbal Wani issued notices to the Centre, the director general of the Central Reserve Police Force, and the 41st and 72nd battalions.

The court gave them until the next hearing on June 30 to file any objections to the petition.