The Supreme Court on Thursday issued notices to the Centre and the Jammu and Kashmir government on an application disclosing that a surrendered militant has been recruited as a commissioned officer in the army.

The Society for Human Rights and Civil Liberties filed the application, which was taken up by a Bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti and Justice G P Mathur.

The militant in question is Dahir Ahmed, alias Thathu, who was in charge of the terrorist outfit Ikhwan-ul-Musalmeen.

The organisation's counsel, Ramesh Kumar Haritash, claimed that despite the court's September 24 notices to the Centre and the state government, the respondents released 55 militants from various jails in J&K.

The petitioner had earlier requested the court to quash the state's rehabilitation policy for militants, comprising grants of Rs 1.5 lakh in fixed deposits to each of those surrendering.

In addition, each of the surrendered militant would be entitled to a monthly allowance of Rs 2,000 and an incentive of up to Rs one lakh depending on the weapons laid down by them, the petitioner said.

It argued that such grants would encourage people in other states to take up arms.