What is the Darbar Move in Jammu and Kashmir? All about the 150-year-old practice

The Darbar Move is the seasonal transfer of Jammu and Kashmir’s top government offices between Srinagar and Jammu. Srinagar serves as the summer capital, while Jammu serves as the winter capital. The practice began during Dogra rule and continues as an administrative tradition.

The shifting includes the civil secretariat and offices of the Governor, Chief Minister, ministers, bureaucrats, and police officers. Around 151 government departments participate. More than 10,000 employees change their locations during each move. The arrangement allows the administration to function from each city during its designated season.

The move to Srinagar usually happens near the end of April. Offices return to Jammu before winter, generally toward the end of October. Although the practice was stopped in 2021, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah restored it in 2025. The government continued it in 2026, opening offices in Srinagar on May 4 after six months in Jammu.

The Darbar Move is not limited to a few senior officials. Around 151 government departments shift their offices between Srinagar and Jammu as the administration changes its seasonal base. This makes the practice one of the largest recurring government relocations described in the article.

More than 10,000 employees change locations during the move. They are part of offices connected with the civil secretariat, ministers, bureaucrats, police officials, and other government departments. The transfer happens because the government’s working capital changes between the summer and winter seasons.

The scale helps explain why the practice affects more than government paperwork. Employees must change their work locations, and security arrangements must support the movement of officials and offices. The move was halted in 2021 partly because e-office was expected to reduce costs. It resumed in 2025 and continued in 2026, despite the logistical demands of relocating so many departments and workers.

The seasonal schedule follows Jammu and Kashmir’s contrasting weather. The Darbar Move to Srinagar normally takes place at the end of April, before the Valley’s summer administrative season. Before winter arrives, the government shifts its offices back to Jammu, usually toward the end of October.

The article gives a detailed 2026 timetable for the return journey. Offices following a five-day week were scheduled to close in Srinagar after work on October 30. Offices following a six-day week were scheduled to close after work on October 31. All offices were due to reopen in Jammu on November 2.

The move in the opposite direction also followed the traditional calendar. In 2026, government offices reopened in Srinagar on May 4 after operating from Jammu for six months. The schedule shows that, despite the shift toward e-office, the government has continued the seasonal arrangement for a second consecutive year after its restoration in 2025.

The Dogra Maharajas created the Darbar Move as a practical seasonal arrangement. They shifted top offices away from Jammu during its hot summers and away from the Valley during its bitter winters. Srinagar became the summer capital, while Jammu became the winter capital.

The practice involved more than the ruler’s court. Offices of the Governor, Chief Minister, ministers, bureaucrats, and police officers moved with the administration. This allowed the government to operate from the more suitable seasonal location. The transfer became known as the Darbar Move because it began during the Dogra era.

Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India in 1947, ending Dogra rule abruptly. However, the practice of shifting top offices between Srinagar and Jammu did not end. Its historical origin remained visible in its name, even as the administration continued under a different political system. The tradition lasted for more than 150 years before being halted in 2021.

The Darbar Move was stopped in June 2021 by Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha. His administration cited the transition to e-office, arguing that digital working would make the physical transfer unnecessary. The government said ending the practice could save around ₹200 crore every year.

The decision faced strong criticism, especially from Jammu’s business community. Business groups called it harmful to trade and to the traditional bond between Jammu and Srinagar. They continued pressing for the practice to return. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court had also questioned the move in 2020, calling it inefficient and costly in time, effort, energy, and security.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah restored the Darbar Move in 2025, one year after taking office. The restoration came after a four-year interruption. The government continued the practice for a second consecutive year in 2026, when offices returned to Srinagar in May and were scheduled to shift back to Jammu in November.

When the capital shifts, government administration changes its physical base. Around 151 departments move, and more than 10,000 employees change locations. The civil secretariat, ministers’ offices, bureaucratic offices, and police offices all participate. This creates a large, coordinated transfer twice each year when the tradition operates.

The move also affects security arrangements. The High Court observed that the process was taxing for security forces. The government’s 2021 decision to end it was partly based on the belief that e-office could provide administration without shifting offices and could save around ₹200 crore annually. Employees must nevertheless relocate when the practice runs.

Local businesses experience the move differently. Jammu’s business community argued that stopping it damaged trade and weakened the traditional bond between the two regions. The practice resumed in 2025 and continued in 2026. Its future therefore remains tied to competing concerns about cost, efficiency, regional links, and the practical demands of relocation.

A capital is the principal city where a government’s central offices operate and major administrative decisions are coordinated. It usually houses important institutions and senior officials. In Jammu and Kashmir, the Darbar Move means the government does not use one location throughout the year.

The administration works from Srinagar during the summer and Jammu during the winter. The article explains that Dogra Maharajas created this arrangement to avoid Jammu’s summer heat and the Valley’s bitter winter cold. The civil secretariat and offices of senior officials move with the seasonal capital.

Operating from different cities can keep government offices closer to the regions they serve during different parts of the year. However, the arrangement requires a large physical transfer. Around 151 departments and more than 10,000 employees relocate. The practice was stopped in 2021 because e-office was expected to save money, then restored in 2025 and continued in 2026.