The Office of the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, Srinagar, under the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, has issued an advertisement inviting applications for empanelment of Standing Counsels to represent Income Tax matters before the Hon’ble High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and other judicial fora. Applications are invited from advocates of good standing, strong professional reputation, and sound academic credentials for inclusion in the panel of Standing Counsels. The empanelment is generally for a period of three years and will be governed by CBDT Instruction No. 7/2016 dated 07.09.2016. Existing Standing Counsels on the current panel, whose engagement is valid up to 17.10.2026, are also eligible to apply for re-empanelment if they wish to continue. Eligibility criteria include: Advocate eligible to appear before the High Court with at least five years of experience in handling direct tax matters before High Courts or ITAT, OR Former Junior Standing Counsel with at least three years of service, OR Retired/resigned Income Tax officer (Addl. Commissioner/Director or equivalent and above) or ITAT member with qualifying service, subject to conditions regarding disciplinary record and eligibility to practice. The cut-off date for eligibility is 31.03.2026. Application forms (Proforma A1 & A2) along with detailed terms and conditions are available on the official Income Tax Department websites. Applications must be submitted in a sealed envelope via Registered Post or by hand to the Income Tax Officer (Hq.) (Admin.), Office of the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, Srinagar, The Chinars, Aayakar Bhawan, Rajbagh, Srinagar. The envelope must be clearly marked: “Application for Empanelment of Standing Counsel”. Last date for receipt of applications is 08.07.2026 up to 6:00 PM. Late, incomplete, or improperly formatted applications will be rejected. Canvassing in any form will lead to disqualification. Issued by: Income Tax Officer (Hq.) (Admin.) Office of the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, Srinagar